Social Justice Document

David Tantillo
Writing II

For my Social Justice document, I chose to interview my wife’s biological parent, Roxanne. My wife, Kerry, was adopted and didn’t meet Roxanne until she was eighteen. Until recently, Kerry didn’t know anything about her biological grandparents for two reasons. They simply weren’t around, and for fear of upsetting her adoptive mother, Kerry kept a distant relationship with Roxanne.

However, just last year Roxanne came into contact with a journal that had surfaced written by her father, Carl Von Mannstein. He was the son of Erich Von Mannstein, who was one of Hitler’s main war generals during World War II. Because of Erich’s close relationship with Hitler, a visit from the U.S. by Carl soon turned into him being offered a job in the German Army working for Hitler. It started as a clerical job that soon turned into him being a guard at Hitler’s concentration camps.

In this interview, I will talk to Roxanne about this journal and how it has affected her life since then.

Can you quickly summarize what is in this lengthy journal of your father’s?
It’s a diary of his life. It starts with his trip from the U.S. to Germany to visit his dad. He loses his passport in Germany and ends up joining the Army. It mostly touched on the Holocaust and his relationship with his father, Carl Von Mannstein.

During what years of your life were you in contact with your father?
When I was very young. The last contact I had was when I was approximately six years old.

Have you ever met your grandfather?
No. I didn’t know anything of this until 2008, when I read the journal.

Did your father ever speak of your grandfather?
Not that I remember. Again, I was only 6 years old.

At what point did you find out about what your father and grandfather had been through in the war?
I knew my father was involved in the war, because it was the reason my mother left him (indirectly). However, I didn’t know any details until the journal surfaced.

Your mother didn’t know he was involved in the war?
No. He hid it from her. She found out that he had lived as a Nazi and some of the details of things he had done. He also had a pretty severe drinking problem and wasn’t a very good father.

What was your first reaction after reading your father’s journal?
Shock. I knew before that I didn’t know my father well, but it solidified how MUCH I really didn’t know him. I couldn’t believe that I could go 50+ years of my life without knowing something like this. I also felt a little confused and hesitant. I’m still not sure if this is a found piece of history, or just the journal of a mad man.

By not growing up with a father, did this affect you in any way?
Of course. I had trust issues for many years. Especially when Larry left me when I was pregnant.

Was there anything in the journal that shocked you?
I didn’t realize how lonely and mentally ill my father really was. It was hard to swallow.

Do you believe everything in the journal?
I go back and forth on this one. I WANT to believe him, but some things I have trouble grasping.

Are you proud of your father and grandfather, or no?
No…I don’t think there is pride in anything they did.

Did your father, to your knowledge, kill anyone?
I’m not 100%, but I’m sure he did, given his role in the army.

How do you feel about your grandfather being in charge of battles and invasions, indirectly killing thousands, if not millions, of people?
It’s unfathomable and untouchable to me. Our lives are so much different now in this day and age. We don’t have to make those decisions.

In the journal, your father talks about the sadness he felt at the concentration camps and how he hoped that the prisoners would not try to escape, for fear that he might have to shoot them. He claims he never had to. Do you believe him?
I believe that he didn’t in that particular instance, but I’m sure he might have at another time.

Do you feel any guilt? Do you feel any hatred towards them?
No.

After doing research, I found out that your grandfather was quite famous. He even wrote a few books. He was also subpoenaed for his war crimes and spent three years in prison. How does that make you feel?
Again, I feel so separated from it all. Because he wasn’t around, I kind of pushed him away from me emotionally. It’s hard for me to feel real emotions for him. For now, I feel nothing but awe.

Do you think that your separation from your father had anything to do with you giving up your first born child for adoption?
No. It was more pressure to do the right thing than anything. Larry’s family was very conservative and religious and it was the right thing to do at the time. If you couldn’t offer a baby the world, you didn’t keep her. That was the way it was back then.