Heroes

or stars in the sky: Human beings, that I admire and respect, who inspire me and for which I bow deeply in the dust.

Here we go - and since I cannot mentions them all at once neither give one of them priority over the other, I have decided to use time as my scale, eg. using special dates that referes to them - and then tell my story.

Today is the 20th of July, which reminds me of: Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. I admire him, because he dared his life at a time, where everyone in Germany just cared for themselves - I am talking about the holocaust started by the National Socialist in Germany in the period 1933-1945. It took this officer several years to discover, that something was rotten in the Nazi-system, and then he acted trying to assasinate the dictator (whose name I don't want to type here, it best be forgotten).

It happened on the 20th of July 1944 - and it failed, unfortunately. The dictator survived the bomb, that Stauffenberg planted in the situation room. On the same night, Colonel Stauffenberg was shot together with 3 other military persons in the Bendler Block, which housed the German military command.


When I visited this special place in Berlin, I was taken by surprise, since an American film crew were planning to "shoot on location" (Valkyrie with Tom Cruise), so at first I was denied access to the museum, where the post war German Government tries to document history correctly. But I was finally admitted, and it was such a daring exhibition, that I can never forget it.

Since then I have seen several documentaries of Stauffenberg on German Television - and even seen the movie, that was made with Tom Cruise acting as Stauffenberg. Each time I get this feeling: How he dared to be different and act in a situation, where everybody kept their mouth shut waiting for miracles or what?

Had Stauffenberg succeeded in killing the dictator in 1944, millions of lives could have been saved - but no. Instead Stauffenbergs legacy after the war was, that he was a traitor!! - He had made an oath, that he did not keep, and that is enough to loose your honor forever. Not many Germans tried to oppose the Nazi-regime - I can think of another, namely Willy Brandt. He fled to Norway during the war and was also doomed traitor, when he returned.

Colonel Stauffenberg left his wife and 4 children - one of which was born after he was killed.
A German priest - Martin Niemöller wrote these lines:

When the Nazis came for the Communists
I kept quiet
I was not a Communist.
.
When they locked up the Social Democrats
I kept quiet
I was not a Social Democrat.
.
Then they came for the trade unionists
I kept quiet
I was not a trade unionist.
.
Then they came for the Jews
I kept quiet
I was not a Jew.
.
When they came for me
there were no more
to speak out

Coming up:

• Nelson Mandela (cannot wait, since it was only yesterday on July 18 - his birthday - that I should have started writing about this unique leader)
• Audrey Baird - My American Mom - still going strong on July 22nd, her 91st birthday. She has been flying ever since I was born in 1945 until recently and then being a mother of 4 children - my ideal of a strong personality.