I have a complicated relationship with Remembrance Day, given that I’m German and my grandfather fought in the Wehrmacht. I generally try to keep a low profile in ceremonies….

I never knew my grandfather because he was killed by the French resistance. Family lore is he detested the SS types, and I like to believe that. My grandmother later met another soldier, a Panzer driver who had his arm blown off by Americans back when they were fighting the fascists. He was a lovely, gentle giving man and I have fond memories of him.

When someone in my family asked my step-grandfather why the German people let Hitler get in power, he said, “He told us what we wanted to hear. And then we were all at war.”

That’s how history happens

Never forget.