The Fuhrer's Medallion - Chapter Two - Jim Hauenstein

The Fuhrer's Medallion

SATURDAY, JUNE 22nd

12:36 p.m.

“Mikkel, get in here, I want you to watch this TV show with
me.” Wilhelm shouts from the front porch. “Its about Adolf Hitler!
Mikkel is happy for the distraction. Grateful to put down the half
empty metal bucket and small hand shovel, getting away from
those annoying little biting horseflies. Before strolling up the five
steps onto the front porch, he looks around the mostly dirt yard,
telling himself that it is clean enough and heads into the house,
stepping to his left into the living room.

“You have to watch this program about Nazis and Adolf Hitler!”
Wilhelm tells him.

Mikkel, a man of few words unless enraged in a fight,
acknowledges Willie with a simple nod.

Wilhelm becomes so excited about watching something new on
the life of AdolfHitler that he actually runs into the kitchen to grab
a couple of beers, acting as if he might miss something in the
process, even though he had recorded the show earlier.

Standing in front of the refrigerator, he can clearly hear the
opening theme song to the PBS program he wants to watch,
wishing now that he had never taught Mikkel how to use the
remote.

Grandma Kiel's grandson always saves television programs, on
his Cable's DigitalVideo Recorder, when any channel broadcast
stories about Skinheads, White Power, Neo Nazis, The Third
Reich, or Adolf Hitler. It is his way of justifying, in his mind,

the violent existence he lives in. Idolizing these stories of what
he believes are of great men, of great achievements, and of great
things still to come for the white race. Recording and admiring
these people, even when he knows the TV Producers are definitely
biased against these men and their past deeds.

In Wilhelm's mind, and he will often tell anyone who will take
the time to listen,the World is afraid of glorifying any occurrence
that commemorates the pure Aryan Race. The World is fearful
of these events, that could inspire his white brethren to band
together today. He knows, the World as a whole, is frightened to
confirm, in anyway, their superiority as a Race. 

  The real truth behind Wilhelm needing reassurance by the
violence these people portray is the need to overcome his own fear.
The fear of failure, fear of humility, fear of being left out, or left
alone. He feels inside that he isn’t smart enough, physical enough,
or attractive enough to be liked by his peers.

All he can remember from his youth is the constant fear he felt
from people, his Grandmother, and for a short time, from his
abusive Father.

Until he himself snapped one day at school, after a bunch of
heckling kids wouldn't stop and he punched an older student in the
mouth, who he thought was the leader of the group. He quickly
became aware of the fact, that in this fight and his many fights to
come, with a surprise assault on his adversaries, few of the kids

ever fight back. Fights are never the drawn out battles you see in
the movies, they are often finished by one or two punches, and the
winner is usually the one who punches first!

The unexpected and sudden respect he received from his peers
and the fright he saw in some of their eyes, gave him an
exhilarating feel to life. He realized, at a young age, that his quick
violent reactions to unbearable and embarrassing situations in life,
is his way to hide his own crippling fear. Violence would become
his shield against anyone ever finding out how fragile he really is
inside.

With all the instant respect he thought he had gained, he still
couldn't hide from the fact that he always felt alone in the world.
He never put two and two together that he alienated any chance of
a true friendship or relationship by his violence. Grandma Kiel
and Mikkel Schmidt are the only people in his life and those two

always seem to push him around!

Mikkel is already seated, holding the remote, centered on the
davenport when Wilhelm brings back the two cans of beer. He sits
down next to Schmidt and starts to tell him, “I recorded this
program early this morning.”

He hears a grunt from Mikkel. Willie thinks to acknowledge
that he is listening, but if he would have listened closely, it is to
say the expression, yeah right!

Mickey knows “early this morning” for Willie means waking
up at ten thirty.

“It is the first time I ever saw a TV show about Adolf Hitler
wearing a medallion, or the first time I ever heard of it.” Willie
is trying to express the excitement he feels.

“What are you talking about?” Mikkel queries. “All we are
going to see is something about a Nazi medallion?”

“No, it’s a medallion worn by Adolf Hitler.” Wilhelm explains.

   “And you think we should watch this?”

   Wilhelm, clearly frustrated now by Mikkel’s queries blurts
out, “Just watch the damn show and we'll talk about it later.” He
pushes the volume button up on the remote control to drown out
anymore questions that might come out of Mikkel's mouth.

   A Hip-Pop theme song is blaring out its ending lyrics on the
flat screen TV's speakers, a little louder than would be
accustomed to most functional families. But, being dysfunctional
are the boy's trademark.

   Wilhelm jumps to his feet once again, excited as a child, and
loudly proclaims.

“I’ll get us a couple of more beers, so we won't be interrupted
during the show!”

The rhythmic beat of the theme song almost choreographs his
excitement as he bounces his way into the kitchen once more.

   Mikkel, barely turning his head, yells, “Bring me my eggs
and bacon from this morning!”   

   Willie returns only with a can of beer in each hand,
reaching out to give one to Mikkel.

   “Where's my eggs?” Mikkel questions while swiping a can
of beer from Wilhelm’s hand.

   “You can eat later. I just want to get to the story about
Adolf Hitler.” Wilhelm says ignoring Mikkel's glaring eyes.

   Sitting next to his roommate, Wilhelm fast forwards to the
beginning of the story he has been waiting all day to see.
Pushing the play button, you see a fiftyish looking female
announcer on the television screen and hear her prepping the
story.  

  

   “Our last story investigates what maybe a rare Nazi Ceremonial
Medallion that could have been worn by Adolf Hitler.” Says
Gwendolyn Connors, one of four Investigators and the Narrator
on this particular segment of the PBS program, “Historical
Investigation.”

   There is a pause in Gwendolyn's narration as standard stock
footage of Nazis marching by and saluting Adolf Hitler is
displayed on the TV screen for visual effect. She continues,
“Hitler’s terrifying rise to power came in a few short years in the
Nineteen-Thirties.” Another pause for dramatic effect as more
video footage is shown. “Much of his success was due in part, to
his masterful use of propaganda. The manipulation of words and
images to win the hearts and minds of the German people.
Thousands of documentaries, newsreels, and short films were
made to glorify Hitler and the Third Reich. Today, any new
discovery of this period is an important opportunity to delve into
the minds and motivations of Adolf Hitler and his followers in the
Nazi Party. Now Mary Russell from Oceanside California wants
us to investigate a Nazi Medallion that was brought back from
Germany by her Grandfather that has been stored in a family's
chest, with other old war mementos, for more than sixty-eight
years.”

A young beautiful Caucasian woman with definite Filipino
facial features, short cropped black hair, and proudly wearing her
dress blues of The U.S. Marine Corps appears on the TV screen.
She is standing in front of a small, two story, turquoise colored,
two bedroom home. With the typical one large picture window to
the right of the entrance way and  the two, split down the middle,
single size windows with decorative washboard wood paneling
along each side to, geometrically, balance the surface features of
the front of the house.

“My Grandfather, Staff Sergeant Andrew James Russell, sent
home memorabilia after the fall of Berlin while he was stationed
in South-West Germany during the allied occupation.” Mary says
to the TV camera, trying to explain her story while holding up the
ribbon artifact for all to see.

“When I was a young girl in the nineteen-nineties, World War II
was still in the hearts and minds of the Veterans still alive from
that Great War. My Grandfather and his buddies from the 78th 
Infantry Division would have reunions and I would hear their
stories on how the battles back then were so much different than
the type of fighting that goes on today. On occasion, he would
bring out his chest full of War memorabilia and tell me what each
piece meant to him. My Grandpa always brought this medallion
out last, relating his memories on how he came to possess it and
why he thought it was important.”

The scene switches from the out of doors, in front of the house,
to the two women sitting comfortably at a small oak dining room
table inside Mary's Kitchen. As the camera pans the eating area's
longest wall, the television audience can see that it is full of
photographs of different family members. Dressed in the changing
military uniforms of the United States from different eras and
different branches of the arm forces, to other photos of Filipino
freedom fighters from World War Two.

The camera again faces Gwendolyn Connors as she asks,
“Can you tell us the story on how your Grandfather came to
possess this Nazi artifact and why he felt it was so important?”

Focusing the camera on both women now, Mary replies,
“After V-E day, Staff Sergeant Russell was assigned patrol duty
along the Rhine River in the area that borders Germany and
Switzerland. He and his men had to cover an eighty kilometer
area, or just about fifty miles. He was told by his commanding
officer that there had been reports of German dissidents crossing
the river in this area to get entryway into the small village of
Rekingen, Switzerland. Before the war, the township already
boasted of having many German ancestral families living in the
area! My Grandfather told me that there was only one incident that
he and his men came across. It was with an older gentleman who
came hiking out of the woods and was surprised to see them
patrolling along the river here!”

Mary takes a short breath as Gwendolyn slightly bobs her head
up and down in confirmation that she is paying attention. Mary
straightens herself vertically in her chair as she continues, “As it
turns out this man didn't have any identity papers on him so he was
searched. Once the Medallion was found and he knew his captures
were going to confiscate it, without a weapon, this German
attacked my Grandfather and was shot in the process.”

Mary picks up the artifact off the table in front of them and
looks at it for a moment, then gazing past Gwendolyn, as if she
was gazing into the past, recites, “Grandfather always said there
has to be more to this Medallion than meets the eye. Its not on any
list of medals the Germans gave out during or after World War One
or Two. Not militarily or for civilians. My Grandfather had it
appraised and found it has little value except to maybe a collector.”

Mary pauses again, staring straight through Gwendolyn's black
rim glasses focusing into her faded green eyes and says, “Against
all odds this German fought ferociously, giving up his life, for a
piece of jewelry which has no value!”

A hint of the expression why, shows on Mary's face!

Mrs. Connors seizes the opportunity to lean over, putting her
elbows on the table, capturing Miss Russell and the television's
audience attention by asking, “And why do you believe Adolf
Hitler wore this medallion?”

“That, I have to take the word of my Grandfather.”  Mary
answers. “He mentioned a few times to me that he himself had
seen captured video footage, back in the mid nineteen-forties, of
Adolf Hitler wearing it during one of his retreats. The video he saw
was taken before the war had started. Sometime in the middle to
late nineteen-thirties he believed.”

While the two tatted skinheads were transfixed on the television
screen, Grandma Kiel reaches from behind the couch, in between
both, to grab the TV remote off the middle cushion, turning off the
TV set right at this point in the story. Both men jump to their feet,
turning around to face, what they expected was a double barrel
shotgun. But were astonished by the calmness in the elderly
woman.

Standing there, quiet, with the remote control in her hand,
Willie's Grandmother starts slowing turning away from the two,
deep in thought. Looking for something forgotten, a thought or
memory from her past. A reminiscence that needs to be brought back
from the depths of a lifetime full of positive and

neglected experiences.

“Wilhelm?” the Matriarch peacefully asks her Grandson,
“I want you find out if that is the girl's real name.” She was talking
with such clarity. Something inside of her was influencing her
thoughts, her speech. The two boys could see it in her.

It isn't from putting her teeth in today, it is something else. “I also
want you to find out if she does live in Oceanside and where
exactly. Do you understand me?”

Tossing the remote to him gently instead of the usual overhand fast
pitch.

“Mikkel, I want you to come up stairs with me. I need you to
help me reach a book in the second bedroom.”

“Grandma, are you feeling alright?” Her Grandson asks.

“Ya Grandma Kiel, are you OK?” Mikkel questions immediately
after Willie.

Now it was the two relatives looking at Mikkel with
astonishment. Neither of them ever realized that he actually
thought about or cared for someone other than himself.

“Boy, you two are some dumb asses sometimes.” The spark
came back into Grandma Kiel's voice.

“Do you want me to start yelling at you two again? Is that the way
you like it?”

Mikkel and Wilhelm look at each other dumbfounded. They can
now clearly hear, that their concerns are misplaced.

“Just do what I tell you to do or do I have to get out my
shotgun?” The crescendo rising in each of her spoken words!

 

This is,

Not A Book In Favor Of Neo-Nazis

Or What Hitler Did.

Read Each Chapter As They Come Out

And You Will See That I Am Not Condoning Their Actions.

Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“The Nazis learned as much from American Gangster Organizations, as their propaganda was learned from American Business Publicity.”
- Hannah Arendt, -

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

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