NEW YORK - I'm used to taking heat for my job as a military analyst for Human Rights Watch, because our findings that this government or that armed group has violated the laws of war frequently provoke accusations that we're biased or siding with the enemy.
Now I've achieved some blogosphere fame, not for the hours I've spent sifting through the detritus of war, visiting hospitals, interviewing victims and witnesses and soldiers, but for my hobby (unusual and disturbing to some, I realize) of collecting Second World War memorabilia associated with my German grandfather and my American great-uncle. I'm a military geek, with an abiding interest not only in the medals I collect but in the weapons that I study and the shrapnel I analyze. I think this makes me a better investigator and analyst. And to suggest it shows Nazi tendencies is defamatory nonsense, spread maliciously by people with an interest in trying to undermine Human Rights Watch's reporting.
I work to expose war crimes and the Nazis were the worst war criminals of all time. But I'm now in the bizarre and painful situation of having to deny accusations that I'm a Nazi.
The Second World War turned my grandfather, who was conscripted and served on an anti-aircraft battery, into a staunch pacifist. He couldn't understand why I went to work at the Pentagon, where I was on 9/11, of learning from his experiences - the horrific stories he told me late in life of seeing the bodies he shot down fall out of the sky. It wasn't until he died that I really took his lessons to heart, and decided to use my military expertise to try to lessen the horrors of war.
So I left my government career and joined Human Rights Watch to use my expertise in weapons systems and targeting to push soldiers to protect civilians, to uphold the laws born in the ashes of the Second World War. My first investigation took me to the bomb craters in Iraq and brought me face-to-face with the survivors and other victims of the strikes I helped plan. It was a traumatic experience and provoked much soul-searching. I thought often of my grandfather.
As an American child, I learned that Germans were the bad guys; as I got to know my grandfather, I realized that not all Germans were Nazis. Because of him, and my great-uncle, a gunner on an American B-17 bomber, I developed an interest in German and American war memorabilia, and I wrote a long monograph, published last year, on German Second World War Air Force and anti-aircraft medals.
I've never hidden my hobby, because there's nothing shameful in it, however weird it might seem to those who aren't fascinated by military history. Precisely because it's so obvious that the Nazis were evil, I never realized that other people, including friends and colleagues, might wonder why I care about these things. Thousands of military history buffs collect war paraphernalia because we want to learn from the past. But I should have realized that images of the Second World War German military are hurtful to many.
I deeply regret causing pain and offense with a handful of juvenile and tasteless postings I made on two websites that study Second World War artifacts (including American, British, German, Japanese and Russian items). Other comments there might seem strange and even distasteful, but they reflect the enthusiasm of the collector, such as gloating about getting my hands on an American pilot's uniform.
I told my daughters, as I wrote in my book, that "the war was horrible and cruel, that Germany lost and for that we should be thankful." I meant what I wrote. And because of the intense suffering during the Second World War and the genocidal campaign against the Jewish people, I spend my days doing what I can to ensure that such horrors are never allowed to happen again.
Human Rights Watch's Nazi Paraphernalia Enthusiast - Mark ...
Human Rights Watch investigator accused of collecting Nazi ...
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/experts_or_ideologues_a_systematic_analysis_of_hrw_s_focus_on_israel_executive_summary_english_
Even more to the point, most collectors of Nazi memorabalia do not have a 'day job' which involved making moral judgements about the people which the Nazis tried to wipe out. To give an example: If a member of a 'human rights' group reporting about alleged abuses in souther Africa had an obsessive interest in Ku Klu Klan memorabilia, wouldn't you wonder if it was appropriate for that person to be in that position?
The awful thing is that this sort of thing is par for the course at HRW. The chief 'investigator' on its Israel desk, Sarah Whitson, worked for Palestinian organizations before joining HRW. She also solicits money for HRW from Saudi Arabia by promising them "more" stories on Israeli 'abuses'. Not exactly an 'unbiased' observer. The third HRW 'researcher' on Israel, Joe Stork, actually SUPPORTED the Munich massacre of 12 Israeli athletes as it "provided an important boost in morale among Palestinians." He also attended a conference hosted by Saddam Hussein celebrating the infamous (and now discredited) "Zionism is racism" canard.
The point is, HRW has NO credibility regarding Israel, and is proud of it! A sad reflection on the 'human rights' crowd. But in a world where the UN's Human Rights Commission is chaired by Libya, maybe we shouldn't be surprised.
To me, the sinister nature of their design made them seem even more evil. And our triumph against them more impressive.
Please see my reply to McBone below. No one is accusing you of being a nazi sympathizer. The point is, that for someone whose job it is to judge Israel, which Garlasco does in an imbalanced, unfair, and just plain inaccurate manner (his reports have been widely debunked), an obsession with Nazi, especially SS-related items, is highly inappropriate.
If they put the same effort into finding a peaceful solution to the Middle East crisis as they do finding whipping boys they’d be the greatest power on earth
don't worry about all those judgemental neanderthals who don't understand anything about your hobby. i am a black man who also collects WW2, particularly Nazi, memorabilia that stems from my grandfather having fought in the war. My friends think it's peculiar as well, but any of them will vociferously tell you that i am in no way, shape or form a nazi-sympathiser. It's simply an historical interest and means or further educating those who are blinkered to the past.
Nobody is calling you or anyone else (even Garlasco) a Nazi sympathiser because of your collection. Garlasco, however, was more than just a "collector". He is obsessed with Nazi - and ONLY Nazi - memorabalia. He made 8,000 posts and wrote a 400-page volume on the subject . His email moniker AND his license-plate both read "Flak88". "88" is a well-known code for "Heil Hitler", which Garlasco, with his extensive research into the subject, surely knows. And while he may say that a "Flak 88" is just an abbreviation for a type of missile, any "serious" historian of the period would know that a Flak 8.8 mm. is a generic term for a variety of weapons of that caliber and does NOT refer to a specific weapon. Apparently, this "serious" historian is ignorant of the basic facts of his supposed specialization.
There is much more to this, and I urge you to read the posts at www.elderofziyon.blogspot.com and www.mererhetoric.com. Garlasco's enthusiasm over SS objects, his pride at being photographed in an Iron Cross sweatshirt (which he thinks is funny because most people aren't aware of what it represents), the fact that he posted about hiding his obsession from HRW, and the fact that he actually had to be told "to be sure to put in the introduction [to his book] about how bad the Nazis were" shows that he had no problem about the fact that the Nazis actually MURDERED fifteen million people.
"handful of juvenile and tasteless postings I made on two websites"
well, over 7000 postings on this website which would be forbitten in germany because of anti-nazi law (like some of marc Garlasco uniforms and T-shirts) shows a extremly enthusiasm of marc for the nazi-regimes wehrmacht and waffen-SS.
the best thing marc could do would be to say sorry and retrire as a so called human rights expert. then he would have more time for other things he understands more then human rights.
"That is so cool! The leather SS jacket makes my blood go cold it is so COOL!!
there is nothing cool about a SS uniform of men, who guarded jews on their way to the gas chambers.
you sir, are the last person who has any right to throw your poision against israel, the jews and their fight for existence.
shame on you, flak88!
I have no reason to believe he is a Nazi or holds Nazi views. However, he wears the German Iron Cross on his clothing (and not simply as a part of a motorcycle style) and is obsessively involved with swastika adorned objects.
One other thing that Marc seems to obsess about is the Jewish state and what he alleges are its crimes. Nothing I saw in his ~1,000 posts about Nazi war memorabilia included routine criticism of the Nazi regime that murdered Jews.
His callous disregard for Jewish sensibilities combined with his aggressive attacks on the only Jewish state and his adoration for Nazi memorabilia cannot be reasonably reconciled. Even if he is not a Nazi, his behavior towards Nazi history impairs his ability to credibly criticize Jews.
It is as if a Confederate army collector criticized blacks and/or Africans. Some non-racists are obsessed with Confederacy-related artifacts. But, their obsession blocks their ability to credibly criticize blacks. This is no different.
In this article, he pretends like his interest is generic to WWII, but his obsessive online activities are focused narrowly on Nazi artifacts. I wonder if Marc could point us to his comparable commentary on US or other Allied WWII memorabilia?
including friends and colleagues, might wonder why I care about these things."
Really? Then why did you post the following query on www.germancombatawards.com about your book on Nazi war medals:
Flak88: So I am trying to figure out what to do. My book is clsoe to done, but I am not sure if I should put my name on it. If folks at work found out I might very well lose my job. That is the reality, so don't dwell on it - ok? But this is a small group of people - should I worry? And shouldn't I stand up for myself? And if I use a psyeudonym isn't that worse, like I am trying to hide something?
So you DID know. And given this, why should we trust anything else you say?