An accused old man told a packed court in Germany that he was proud of his work for the elite-formation known as Waffen SS during World War II in Holland.

Eighty-eight year old Heinrich Boere is standing trial in Aachen, Germany for his alleged participation in an SS "death squad" that murdered Dutch civilians. Without hesitation during his trial on Friday, the Dutch-German Boere told the court that he was proud of being chosen as a volunteer to fight for the Germans.

According to the prosecution, he killed a bicycle-shop owner, a pharmacist and another civilian. He faces a possible sentence of life in prison if convicted since Germany does not have capital punishment.

When German soldiers invaded his hometown in the Netherlands in 1940 and seeing Stuka dive-bombers overhead, Beore testified that he and his family were filled with tremendous joy.

"(My mother) said 'they're coming' now things will be better," he told the court, speaking animatedly to a panel of judges.

After the Germans occupied the Netherlands, he told the court that he was encouraged to join the Waffen SS when he saw a recruiting poster signed by SS-Reichführer Heinrich Himmler. Dutch citizens were offered many perks to join the SS, including German citizenship after two years of service and the possibility of becoming a civilian policeman after that.

According to his testimony, Boere and 100 other Dutchmen attempted to signup at the SS recruitment office but only 15 of the men were chosen. He was part of a squad that was ordered to assassinate dozens of members of the Dutch resistance in an operation code-named Silver Pine.

The so-called "resistence" often carried out malicious attacks upon un-armed soldiers and hospital treks. They never wore a uniform and thus their actions are equal to that of a organized terrorist. When WWII was fought it was not illegal to clamp down on partisans (i.e terrorists).

The trial against the eighty-eight year old Heinrich Boere is really a sad chapter in our history. This man did nothing wrong.