Try to remember....

I saw this comic on digg the other day. It reminded me of my time in Germany.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4361/holocaustcartoon.jpg

The summer between my Junior and Senior year, I went to Germany as an exchange student. There were a number of influential moments that summer that helped define who I am today. One of the most eye opening experiences was visiting a concentration camp. When we arrived at the concentration camp, we walked past the buildings and out onto one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen. The grass looked like it was from a golf course, and there were winding trails through dozens of gently sloping hills.

I remember telling my host father that I was more interested in going inside to learn more about the history of the place. He insisted that we take a walk first. As we walked through the park, we came around the backside of on of the hills. On the backside of the hill was a wall with a plaque. The plaque read, “Here lies 10,000 dead.” I realized at that moment, that this was the most shocking way to realize the tragedy of what happened during the war. Each one of these magnificent looking hillsides was in fact a mass grave.

I thought I’d share my experience along with the comic strip with you. Thank you Wiley for reminding us why we remember.