I told my Great Grandson that I was not a hero during the war but I had the honor of serving among many men who were. I have told this to other people and the majority have been repulsed to hear me speak of the Waffen SS as heroes. In 1941, I lost sight of what the war was all about. Political objectives and the desires of my leaders meant nothing to me. I had bonded with my comrade soldiers and grew weary of watching my brothers get pulverized into nothingness by bombs and bullets. By the autumn of 1941 I was not fighting for Hitler, Germany, or because of fanatical loyalty. I was fighting to defend my comrades and for my own life.