Carol just pointed out that I have not been clear in my meaning. Here is what I meant to say from the start.

The story of this boy touched me. I see some real humanity in it and while I certainly don't condone the action I can see what lead him to do it. Kids are rebelious and pliable at that age and they act out. Imagine how one of us might have acted when we were in that rebelious stage, had we seen one of our friends killed. When I was a boy the Communists were the current enemy and the war with the Germans was fresh in the minds of our parent's generation. That memory was clearly passed on to us. One of my teachers told us of seeing ore ships torpedoed right in our harbour. As a child I shared their hatred of this recent enemy.

I used the word NAZIs instead of Germans so as not to refer to current Germans but to the Germans who made war so near our own soil. If those Germans had occupied our land, we'd have fought them tooth and nail and 30 years later my generation would have been called upon to resist. Many of them would have. Maybe I would have.

I guess I wrote a story in my head when the interview touched me. I didn't express myself very well. I hope this is better.