I wish the American people had welcomed home the veterans from the Vietnam War years with THANK YOU.

My Dad was a WWII Navy SeaBee. I came home to no fan fare either except for Mother making me a ‘Welcome Home’ meal and a cake and all for me. I told her not to put a banner out on the porch like they did for other returning soldiers. No, that would be an invitation to screaming ANTI WAR FREAKS throwing trash at your house.

I went to computer school on the GI BILL and quietly went to work. Other guys would at that time quietly sat in a bar room every night, afraid to mention their honorable service to his country. There will always be bad guys and girls out there trying to hurt the USA and I believe there is a strong backbone in the American people. A state trooper stopped at my table at Dunkin Donuts and shook my hand saying ” thank you for your service.” What a humbling feeling because we never asked for praise. I smile and feel warm inside when I hear the last few words of the song say ” and the HOME of the BRAVE.”

I served in Berlin in 1972 and 1973 and did my duty at Spandau Prison. We were behind the wall too, 110 miles. I guarded the Nazi leader Rudolf Hess and published a collection of 30 stories in the book, I Guarded The Nazi Leader Rudolf Hess. The first one is about guarding him. I am not claiming to be a great writer, just another veteran recalling my duty and life afterwards.

Rudolf Hess was the last prisoner at Spandau prison from 1948 to 1987 when he hanged himself. We were under orders to never speak to him. I did look down into his eyes for a long glance, then broke it and back to marching around my tower. My eyes were attracted to movement below me in the prison yard. I looked down to see who it was. There walking on a smaller path, beaten into the ground was prisoner number seven, arms behind his back, head down and looking round shouldered. He glanced up at me, put his head down again for a moment and then suddenly stopped and stared up into my eyes. We both sort of looked deeply into each other’s eyes, like using telescopes. My heart started racing knowing that I was one of the few living people to see him and being daring enough to look at him. I was never afraid of being eyeball to eyeball with a Soviet Soldier, but this was pure evil.

Few of us saw him at all, only out one hour a day to walk around. The prison was eerie. Although I was armed, he made my hair stand up. He was alone in a 500-man prison, guarded by 4 countries for 40 years in total silence. He was put in the tower of London by Churchill until the Nuremberg trial.

My book, I GUARDED RUDOLF HESS is that story and 30 others, mostly about other things in Berlin and a few of my later life experiences. I recently sold a dozen of my books at the WW 2 weekend in Massachusetts and was mentioned in the Athol newspaper. The book is available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/guarded-RUDOLF-HESS-Den…/…/1530403510…

I was asked when writing I GUARDED RUDOLF HESS to try and be more human about it and not so rigid and judgmental. But Rudolf Hess was after all a Nazi. I used the following poem as a Preface to my book, written during a session of local writers, the subject a flower vase.

I noticed a look in some of their eyes that showed silent approval…
Flowers for the devil
I was looking down from my guard tower
at the Spandau Prison in Berlin, Germany one day.

He served out his life sentence
until the day he hung himself
After forty years of imprisonment, mostly alone.

No one shed a tear and the very next day
the flower bed was plowed under,
forever
~ Dennis King, U.S. Army Veteran and author of I GUARDED RUDOLF HESS

Tributes: https://www.facebook.com/ComesASoldiersWhisper/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soldierswhisper24/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoldiersWhisper