They Shot Him for Something He Stole at Age 12!
His last words in front of the firing squad were: "They're not shooting me for deserting the United States Army
... thousands of guys have done that. They're shooting me for bread I stole when I was twelve years old."
A 24-year-old man about to be shot by his own country. And his final understanding of what was happening to him was not about France,
not about the war, not about desertion. It was about a foundry he broke into at age 12 — the crime
that gave him a record — the record that marked him — the mark that made him an example.
He was right. His criminal record shaped every decision made about his case. He died for bread he stole twelve years before the war existed.
... thousands of guys have done that. They're shooting me for bread I stole when I was twelve years old."
A 24-year-old man about to be shot by his own country. And his final understanding of what was happening to him was not about France,
not about the war, not about desertion. It was about a foundry he broke into at age 12 — the crime
that gave him a record — the record that marked him — the mark that made him an example.
He was right. His criminal record shaped every decision made about his case. He died for bread he stole twelve years before the war existed.
