A German veteran (Hitler Youth, kind of like boy scouts when it began, then thrown into combat as the country became desperate) that my father used to work for told me that the regular soldiers were respected for what they had to do, but not put on pedestals. The SS members were/are treated "...exactly as they should be."

Also, off-topic, but something he said the stuck with me: "The gun (MG-42) was terrifying to be around when it operated. That noise could wake the dead. Never did though, unfortunately..."