Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Here’s something you don’t see every day

fahnen

This was my collection of Third Reich flags and banner back around 1990, spread out over much of the back yard of our house at 5009 N. College Ave. in Indianapolis.

I have several more now, but don’t have a convenient place to array them for a similar photo.

That’s the problem with collecting unpopular, inflammatory things. You can’t display them, especially if they’re huge like the biggest one here – a State Service Flag that’s about 10 feet on the short side. If I were to run one up a flagpole, it would be sure to cause a stir.

I took it and some other German stuff to Austin’s high school English class several years ago. They were doing a unit on the Holocaust and the teacher asked if I could bring some things to show. A student volunteer and I got onto chairs to hold up the State Service Flag, which pretty much covered the front wall of the classroom, so the kids could see it in all its graphic savagery.

That was about the time the principal strolled down the hall and glanced in through the vertical glass panel in the door and was transfixed by the biggest swastika he’d ever seen.

No comments: