Blog: benperry.net

For obvious historical reasons, Germany has a conflicted relationship with its military forces. For more than a few pacifist Germans (and in a way 'pacifist' is nearly synonymous with being German today), the fact that the country even has an active armed forces is barely acceptable. That's why Nicholas Kulish's piece No Parade for Hans resonated with me. It described a scene I've seen many times in Berlin. In countless train stations I've also seen the "sad, lone figure of a soldier, heavy pack on his back, waiting for a train like the rest of us, but separated [...]