“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II

Robert Rasmus is a businessman who served as an infantryman in World War II. Although he was afraid for his life, he recalls, “I had this great sense of adventure. My gosh, going across the ocean, seeing the armies, the excitement of it” (38). Particularly, Robert remembers coming across the bodies of German soldiers in Europe. The sight gave him “a realization of how you’ve been conditioned…Once the helmet is off, you’re looking at a teenager, another kid” (45). While Robert wrestled with the supposed “evil” of all Germans, he still instinctively stopped a Russian soldier from killing a German.

Finally, Robert reflects on the atomic bomb, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. He believes that using the atomic bomb on Japan was necessary to prevent losses from a ground invasion of Japan. Although he disapproves of communism, Robert has no desire to see the United States go to war with the Soviet Union and opposes to the Vietnam War. In the end, Robert concludes that World War II “was utterly different” (48).

Richard describes his experiences as a soldier in Germany, especially being captured and imprisoned in a prisoner-of-war camp and then sent to serve as slave labor at a chemical plant.