Appendix A

Perspective of: Siert Bruins, a Nazi SS member

Introduction:
I. Attention-getting statement - gain the attention of the audience by using a quotation,
telling a brief story or humorous anecdote, asking a question, etc.
Siert Bruins, among most other former Nazi soldiers, has been able to avoid
virtually all punishment for the horrible crimes he has committed, and do so relatively
comfortably. Ones such as Simon Wiesenthal should hunt down and punish former Nazis,
because men like Bruins should never be allowed to live feeling safe from prosecution.
II. Thesis statement - state the specific purpose of your presentation here. What is it that
you trying to SHOW about your person. Remember, this is not a statement of fact; it
must be a statement of judgment.
Despite committing many crimes during the war, Siert Bruins was able to evade
all serious punishment and persecution until just months ago, and he died before he could
face the consequences for his actions. This lack of punishment was all too common
among Nazi war criminals.
Body: Tell the story of the persons life during WWII from his/her perspective.
When the war started, Bruins rushed to join the Waffen SS, and once he did, he
fought along the Eastern Front in Europe. He was injured and returned to his home
country, the Netherlands, and there he joined the Nazi SD, essentially the Nazi
intelligence agency. It was there that he killed two Jewish boys, which later he would
serve just seven years for, and a dutch resistance member, and became suspected
accomplice to more than 150 murders. In the final weeks of the war, he fled to Germany
and applied for citizenship to escape allied persecution.
Conclusion
I. Summary statement - review your thesis and main points.
Members of the Nazi military committed hundreds of thousands of war crimes
that have gone unpunished, and if Siert Bruins life teaches us any lesson, its that many a
person can do horrible crimes without being brought to justice. At 92, Siert Bruins was
brought to justice.
II. Concluding statement - prepare a closing statement that ends your presentation
smoothly.
Its all too common to see people like Bruins who committed horrible crimes
during the war go unpunished, and this fact is one of the reasons so many war crimes are

committed. We need to crack down harder on all people who violate international laws,
and especially those who hurt and kill others.
Format for Presentation of research:
Animoto - we will create a slideshow of images from Bruins life along with basic facts
that help communicate our point.

Works Cited
"Murder Trial of ex-Nazi Officer Siert Bruins Closed Without a Verdict." DW. Deutsche
Welle, n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2016. <http://www.dw.com/en/murder-trial-of-ex-naziofficer-siert-bruins-closed-without-a-verdict/a-17348290>.
"Nazi Murder Trial: Judge Drops Case Against Siert Bruins." BBC News. BBC, 8 Jan.
2015. Web. 8 Mar. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-25655092>.
Niemann, Daniel, and David Rising. "Siert Bruins, 92-Year-Old Dutch-Born German,
Tried for Nazi War Crime." The World Post. Huffington Post, 2 Sept. 2013. Web.
8 Mar. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/02/siert-bruinstried_n_3857193.html>.