As a young American airman stationed in West Berlin for almost 6 years during the 1980s, I met many, many former Nazis. Most of them were the grandparents of friends of mine.

People my age and younger were horrified by Nazi history. Dealing with the fact that Nazis were beloved family members made for very difficult relationships.

I found that most of my friends dealt with it by engaging in tacit silence. They held their grandparents at an arm's length.

Almost none of the are still left alive, so an era has passed. And now we see the rise of neo Nazis in Germany, primarily eastern Germany. Puzzling.