Exile or Mercy?

While I was reading the article Exile or mercy for old Nazi guards, I could not help but wonder how I would feel, reading this today, if I had lived through this time period. As a Holocaust survivor, I believe that I would feel appalled that people would even have to ask this question. How could you show mercy to those who were even a small part of the greatest genocide of our time? Yes, they are old and fragile now, but does that mean that they are not responsible for their actions because of age? I believe they still are. The only soft spot that I have toward these men is wondering if choosing not to be a part of the Nazi's would have meant giving up their lives instead. I can't even imagine having to decide between my life or the extermination of so many others. We all would like to assume the best in ourselves, but really, which would you choose?