Major Trapp Narrative Essay

The defeat and destruction of my country and its people left me in despair. The crumbled buildings half standing, the bodies of those bombarded with bombs, and the memory of my repentant actions during this immense war. I consider myself a patriot of my grand country, served to protect it, and completed what instructed, but it fails to erase the horrifying images of thousands of men, women, and children piled atop of one another executed by myself and my comrades. Before this commenced, I lived a relatively normal life. I served in the military and participated in combat operation during the invasion of the Soviet Union. This experience helped transition me into my operations in Poland, but never fully prepare me for what materialized.
In 1942, I, with my fellow police officers, arrived in Poland unsure of our precise mission but waited in anticipation. At our arrival, the war in Europe endured three long years and persisted in its destruction. Back home in Germany, Hitler and the Nazis continued their campaign of purifying the country by riding
We were to clear the marketplace of all Jews, load them onto trucks, and shoot them all in the hidden forest. We were to immediately shoot those considered immobile, including infants and the elderly, at the marketplace then return to shoot the remaining Jews. Major Trapp continued speaking when I heard him proclaim “any of older men who did not feel up to the task that lay before them could step out” (57). My mind consumed a mass of information to fully comprehend the proposal. My immediate action included not to step out when suddenly the first man broke rank. At that same moment, his Captain grew furious and lashed out at him for one of his men were first to break rank. It was evident at the moment to not appear cowardly despite not participating in devious