Not Another Gold Star

Derek Doellman tensed as he held the enemy, knife at his throat, ready to kill. But the enemy was his German cousin. As a sixteen year old, Derek yearned to enter the war. Craved the honor and valor. The excitement. It drove him to steal his brother’s birth certificate and illegally enlist. In 1944 during World War II, it wasn’t hard to do. However, the excitement, honor and valor that he dreamt of didn’t materialize. It was kill or be killed. And nothing else. The game was to stay alive and not allow another gold star to be sent home to his mother. At that tense moment holding his German cousin’s life in his hands, Derek had to make a choice. Kill or be killed. Or were the bonds of blood strong enough to overcome hate?