Stephen Shooster
Soviets Entering Poland September 17, 1939
biggest panic. But, it was hard to tell if they were just worried about rape and pilfering or if it really was happening. In fact, for much of the occupation, it was hard to know what or whom to believe. One small thing that intrigued me was the glimmer on the soldier’s belt buckles. It seemed incongruous with warriors. I saw a phrase written in German surrounding a Nazi symbol. The symbol was a kind of windmill-looking thing called a swastika. The whole thing was made of stamped brass. Since the swastika was something I had never seen before, I could not associate it yet with anything evil. However, what drew my attention were the simple words, ‘God mit uns’ or God is with us. It was just an- other reason to think we must have nothing to fear; after, all we believed in God, too. And not just any God, the Jews believed in the same God as the Germans, they just approached the traditions differently. Anyway, to me, these must be good men who understood the word of God. They must have been taught good versus evil and right versus wrong, just like us. Looking back, I realize this belt buckle was a Trojan horse proclaiming innocence, but intending something sinister. I think it was deceiving for both the wearer, giving him visions of God on his side, and the victim thinking these are God-fearing people. 1940
In early 1940, a few months after the invasion, the Tyrolean soldiers left us and
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