"I was hid behind"

I was hid behind
The big tree
That was knocked down
Or fallen
And I could see these
Germans in the woods
Accross this big field
And I saw this young kid
Crawling up my ditch
Straight towards my tree
So I let him crawl
I didn't fire at him
but when he got up
Within 3 or 4 feet of me
I screamed at him to surrender
And instead of surrendering
He started to pull his gun
Towards me
Which was instant death
For him
But this young man
He was a blond
Blue eyes
Fair skin
So handsome
He was like a little angel
But I still had to shoot him
And it didn't bother me
The first night 
Because
I was so tired
but the second night
I woke up crying
Because that kid
Was there
And to this day
I wake up
Many nights
Crying
over this kid
I still see him
In my dreams
And I don't know
How to get him
Off my mind...


From Joseph Robertson: A German in the Woods 
The former U.S. infantryman shares his bitter memories in the battlefield with the German soldiers.