Germans in the Woods
In honour of Remembrance Day / Veterans Day, Rauch Brothers Animation has posted Germans in the Woods. The animated documentary illustrates a recording of WWII veteran Joseph Robertson who is haunted by the memory of killing a young German soldier during the Battle of the Buldge. The short was created with Photoshop, AfterEffects, and scanned pencil drawings.
Are you guys so far left that even on Veterans Day you have to have a backhanded implication in your ‘honouring of veterans’. War sucks…it is a necessary evil…I realize we are in the day of revisionist history where ‘there were no good guys except the enemy’ but how about cutting some slack…how about this for a good idea…find some conservatives for your staff to balance out all the political slams and liberal butt kissing that goes on.
Brineblank, I didn’t realize Veterans Day was about selectively only honouring the vets who felt good about the wars they fought. My apologies; Joseph Robertson is clearly a traitor to his country.
Yeah…there was no political slant intended at all by the selection and wording…like many of the selections presented on here. I’m sure it would be nearly impossible to find any work that shows honor and respect to the veterans in positive light without a tinge of the bleeding heart liberal philosophy slant…those poor Germans…
Hey Joe thanks for sharing your memories (very well done animation work too). You know one way some people find to overcome such feelings is to do things the departed person would have wanted to do for his or her own loved ones…since it is probably no longer possible to find this young man’s relatives and so on, kindness shown to other kids his age or perhaps young veterans who have been injured in similar circumstances would help to assuage your feelings.
(Some Catholic priests are also — despite their flaws — stunningly capable of coming up with really meaningful ways to transform negative impressions into positive celebratory action.)
And thanks for doing what was necessary to stop Nazism in your way and circumstances, at that time, too.
And for the record, as hopefully my last comment, I in no way whatsoever was implying the gentleman was a traitor or that war is some fun and game playtime experience full of easy choices that you so snarkily imply…again…get some conservatives on your staff…
Thank you, John, for posting this link.
When we set out to make the film, the idea of translating such a raw and personal story was daunting. Joseph Robertson served a long and distinguished military career of which all Americans can be proud. Like many other veterans, he proves to us the extraordinary strength of his character by showing compassion for his enemy. For the young German soldier, life ended that day in the midst of a mad, chaotic war whipped up by a cruelly charismatic dictator. The German people were no better or worse than us, instead, they were led by evil men who cynically turned patriotism into genocide. I am grateful to have had the chance to share Robertson’s account and hope it serves as a reminder that each death in every war is a unique and sacred event of profound tragedy.
We honor our servicemen and women best by remembering the burdens they carry as well as their heroism.
Thanks, Tim, for your elegant and thoughtful response.
So when the our boys went in and killed those that were ‘eliminating’ the Jewish people…their deaths (the soldiers) was a sacred event…And when our boys stopped the Japanese soldiers that had went into China and were cutting babies out of women and raping them…that (the soldiers’ deaths) was a profound tragedy. And how could their leaders have been evil men…they too were victims…of ideas…it wasn’t their fault.
God bless our troops and those that have stood up and did what was necessary even if it wasn’t pleasant…God bless our troops that have stood on the side of right even though those around us sometimes have no idea what right actually is and want to make those involved in atrocities victims.
Here’s an idea for next year’s veterans day salute…Find one of the pilots that bombed Pearl Harbor…they were no better than us, no worse than us…and they were veterans…or better yet…do our servicemen and women proud by highlighting their accomplishments of good triumphing over evil plain and simple.
Tim –
It is exactly this kind of deeply moving, personal story that gives shape and meaning to acts of war. Adding a human element helps counteract the instinct to make blanket statements about good and evil, replacing them with careful consideration and understanding. Joseph Robertson bravely did what he had to do and his story, rendered in this way, gives the audience an important glimpse into the difficulties faced by men and women on the ground.
Thank you for this work.
I’m lucky enough to have heard a World War 2 vet’s stories as we worked together until he retired at the ripe old age of 89. Some of the stories were funny, some were fascinating- educating me about the mundane goings on between battles, and one was very sad.
I’m not sure why other people thank veterans, but I know why I do. I thank them for their service of course, but when I remember my old co-worker’s story about the loss of his buddy, and when I see things like this video, I get a glimpse of some of the weighty memories that so many soldiers carry with them for the rest of their lives.
The guys who have lived through things like this are often slow to open up. I’m thankful to the ones who eventually do, and share their experiences like this.
A big “thank you” to the production team that brought Mr. Robertson’s story to life. You have done us a great service.