In 1938, thirteen-year-old Reho Othmann has few worries beyond getting the name of a pretty girl he met on a train. His rural family is warm and loving, his country, Estonia, is enjoying independence from Russia . . . his future looks bright. But the headlines foreshadow darker times. Both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany are becoming increasingly hostile, and Estonia is caught in the collusion between the two global aggressors.
When threats become grim reality, Reho joins a tiny resistance group, then escapes to Finland to fight the Russians. Called to defend his homeland, he is forced into a Waffen SS uniform and fights the invading Red Army until imprisoned in defeated Germany. Reho survives to immigrate to the United States and witnesses the eventual fall of his Soviet oppressor. But just when he assumes his life is settled for good into a peaceful existence, he faces an unexpected challenge in 1991 . . . the erasing of his own history.
Based on a true story, The Uniform testifies to the resilience of humanity in the face of savage persecution.