At first, the words the man read in the newspaper shocked the World War II survivor. But as the reality sank in, a quiet truth emerged: Behind every kind of greatness lies someone who has silently borne humiliation, struggle, and hardship.
The betrayal
Rodick was a British soldier captured during the Second World War at Dunkirk, France. He was sent to a German prisoner-of-war camp that held nearly a thousand British soldiers. Life there stripped men of all dignity, driving them like animals to perform brutal labor day after day.
Rodick had once served as a driver in the British army. The Nazi guards needed drivers and began recruiting among the prisoners. In truth, several were trained, but no one wanted to serve the Nazi’s nor perform the task that was required — transporting the bodies of those who had died from wounds or disease. Yet Rodick alone stepped forward: “I can do it,” he said with surprising enthusiasm. Soon he became the camp’s driver — and something unexpected began to unfold.
He treated the other prisoners harshly and barked orders. Worse still, when weak prisoners collapsed, he would throw them onto the truck, even if they were not yet dead. The prisoners came to hate him deeply, calling him a traitor and a servant of the Nazis.
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