WARNING: Distressing Discussion

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What? You’re looking at the photo of that fine silverware and thinking what can be distressing about it? The silverware belonged to Adolf Hitler. Never in a million years would I have ever expected to go to a little museum in a little podunk town in western Alabama and find part of a silver service that belonged to one of the most evil men in history. On the left, you see the information about how it came to be in this little museum in this little podunk town. Lieutenant Kermit Anderson was part of the American forces who guarded the Nazi Party headquarters at the conclusion of the War. The soldiers found a large supply of things such as the silver setting (which, of all things, included an asparagus server!), all monogrammed with “A.H.” (which conveniently can also stand for “a$$ h*le” ). Lt. Anderson took some of it as war souvenirs. Maybe understandable, or maybe not; however, the curator of the museum explained, they were the third choice for a museum to receive the items for exhibition following the death of their father (who retired from the Army as a major). Both the Smithsonian and the World War II Museum refused to take it. The children didn’t want to have it auctioned off because of fear of the people who still worship that guy acquiring them and making them icons. So, they contacted the little museum, and it now has a priceless (simply in terms of the silverware itself) display. I will tell you, unquestionably, it was strange to stand there and look at that expensive silverware, knowing who owned it (he also designed the engravings on it). I also thought about the countless stories from German POWs who were held in America and said they were not treated that well in their own country’s army, showing that there was no concern for the men who were doing the fighting and dying. Distressing…but it is part of history, and I’m’ thankful I got to see it. Photos are of the informational sign in the display case, and a close-up of the insignia and monogram in the handles of the silverware.