Loyal To A Degree
Horst Christian was born in Berlin, Germany in 1930.  His father, a mathematician and a banker, taught him to read and write before the age of 5.  He discovered his love for writing by the time he was 10 years old and wrote vacation reports and several articles for the German school periodical “Hilf Mit.” When Horst was 10, he entered the “Jungvolk,” a subdivision of the Hitler Youth, which was mandatory in the Berlin school system.  He then entered the Hitler Youth at the age of 14, also mandatory, and continued writing for the Hitler Youth periodicals “Der Pimpf” and “Die Deutsche Jugend Burg.” His favorite pastime was playing in the U-Bahn (subway) tunnels.  While other children played soccer, Horst, with a few other likeminded children, explored Berlin by riding the subway trains. Drafted to help defend Berlin against the Soviets at the age of 14 because of his unique knowledge of the subway system, he served as a guide for various SS demolition commandos. In the early 1950s, Horst immigrated to the United States and became a US citizen after the mandatory 5-year waiting period.  He loves to travel and has visited all 50 states in the US, most of Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and some Central American countries.  He now resides with his wife Jennifer of 41 years, in Northern California, where he has been for the last thirty years.