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The Impact of Life Behind the Barbed Wire on World War II Prisoners of War

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The Impact of Life Behind the Barbed Wire on World War II Prisoners of War Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Fall 2008 Vanishing Voices: The Impact of Life Behind the Barbed Wire on World War II Prisoners of War James Reginald Burgess Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Recommended Citation Burgess, James Reginald, "Vanishing Voices: The Impact of Life Behind the Barbed Wire on World War II Prisoners of War" (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 466. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/466 This dissertation (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 VANISHING VOICES: THE IMPACT OF LIFE BEHIND THE BARBED WIRE ON WORLD WAR II PRISONERS OF WAR by JAMES REGINALD BURGESS (under the direction of John A. Weaver) ABSTRACT This dissertation is an exploration into the lived experiences and interconnectedness of World War II prisoners of war (POWs). It is driven by the personal accounts of four men who experienced life on the wrong side of the barbed wire: my father, the late William Austin Burgess, formerly of Hinesville, Georgia; C. Neill Baylor, of Vidalia, Georgia; Herman Cranman, of Savannah, Georgia; and Robert Waldrop, of Beaufort, South Carolina. The impetus for this exploration began with the stories I received as a child when my father would share his wartime military experiences with me and continues with the learning of pre-war, wartime, and post-war experiences. The story purposefully has no end. The experiences of these men are meant to live on, not vanish with them. INDEX WORDS: World War II, Prisoner of War, Kriegie, Hell on Wheels, Swing, Barbed Wire, Georgia Boys 2 VANISHING VOICES: THE IMPACT OF LIFE BEHIND THE BARBED WIRE ON WORLD WAR II PRISONERS OF WAR by JAMES REGINALD BURGESS B.B.A, Georgia Southern University, 1989 M.Ed., Mercer University, 2001 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION STATESBORO, GEORGIA 2008 3 © 2008 James Reginald Burgess All Rights Reserved 4 VANISHING VOICES: THE IMPACT OF LIFE BEHIND THE BARBED WIRE ON WORLD WAR II PRISONERS OF WAR by JAMES REGINALD BURGESS Major Professor: John A. Weaver Committee: Ming Fang He William Reynolds Tom McMullen Electronic Version Approved: December 2008 5 DEDICATION This expedition was inspired by the life course of my father, William Austin Burgess. His tales of warfare fascinated me and made me want to be like him. I knew nothing of the man who killed his enemy and later became their captive. I knew only the soft- spoken, infinitely patient man who gave great hugs, play-wrestled with me when he came home for lunch, took me and my brother to the toy store just about every Friday, and taught me by example how to become an upstanding, moral, and virtuous man. This pursuit to knowledge and understanding is made possible by the sacrifices of an entire generation of men and women who changed the course of history. World War II veterans are now dying at a rate of greater than 1,000 per day so their voices will soon vanish. Less than one percent of American servicemen in World War II (approximately79,000) were classified as POWs. Because they were such a small percentage of an awesome fighting force, they are a segment of history that has been largely brushed aside in comparison. My prayer is that my work – the shedding of light upon their lives and the interpretation I offer – remains true to them and does them justice. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My first thanks go to my family who selflessly sacrificed weekends and evenings to allow me the time to do my research and writing. Your never-waning support and encouragement kept me motivated through a difficult stretch and made me stay focused on the task at hand. Thanks to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum in Pooler, Georgia, are also in order. I greatly appreciate your willingness to allow me access to the wealth of World War II publications in your library but, most especially, to gentlemen who served in the war. Many thanks to the three veterans – Mr. C. Neill Baylor, Mr. Herman L. Cranman, and Mr. Robert Waldrop – who took the time to speak with me and share their life stories. Your experiences and willingness to share them so openly has touched me deeply. You certainly are the Greatest Generation and we are all in your debt for your service to our country. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………….6 PROLOGUE – MY INSPIRATION……………………………………………………..10 CHAPTER ONE – WHEN I WAS A KID………………………………………………14 Prelude………………...…………………………………………………………14 Sam I Am...………………………………………………………………………15 Interlude – Meeting the Men……………………………………………………..24 CHAPTER TWO – GOOD HARD TIMES……………………………………………..30 Interlude – Radio Days…………………………………………………………..37 CHAPTER THREE – WORTHLESS…………………………………………………...44 Prelude – A Day of Infamy (Not What You Think)……………………………..44 Pondering Peanuts………………………………………………………………..44 Interlude – Depression, But Not Depressed………...……………………………54 CHAPTER FOUR – GETTIN’ IN AND GETTIN’ ON………………………………...60 Prelude – Short Shadows………………………………………………………...60 Long Shadows……………………………………………………………………60 Interlude – Farm Boys & City Clickers………………………………………….72 For Love………………………………………………………………………….77 Interlude – Government Issue………………………………………………......108 (For Love)…and Money…………………………………...…………………...111 CHAPTER FIVE – OVERTURE FOR WAR…………………..……………………...119 Prelude – Eager to Hear More……...…………………………………………..119 THE Day of Infamy – Georgia Style…………………………………………...119 8 Interlude – Sunday Afternoon Dates……………………………………………124 CHAPTER SIX – WAR………………………………………………………………..126 Prelude – I Should Have Died………………………………………………….126 Meeting the Enemy – An Introduction…………………………………………126 Interlude – The Media War...…………………………………………………...127 Meeting the Enemy……………………………………………………………..133 Interlude – Ports of Call………………………………………………………...147 No Time For Tea……………………………………………………………….149 Interlude – War and Sex………………………………………………………..152 Invasion…………………………………………………………………………160 CHAPTER SEVEN – THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BARBED WIRE………………166 Prelude – Bridging the Disconnect……………………………………………..166 From Warriors to Captives……………………………………………………...166 Interlude – Captured……………………………………………………………170 Life Inside the Perimeter………………………………………………………..177 Interlude – Ennui and Academe………….……………………………………..183 CHAPTER EIGHT – THE THREE F’S OF LIBERATION...…………..……………..203 Prelude – Fortitude and Fortune………………………………………………..203 Freedom………………………………………………………………………...203 Interlude – Goons Gone.………………………………………………………..219 CHAPTER NINE – THE WOMEN LEFT BEHIND………………………………….226 Prelude – Sweethearts and Mama’s Boys………………………………………226 Rosie, Winnie, Patsy, and Fannie………………………………………………226 9 The Toughest Woman I Ever Knew……………………………………………238 CHAPTER TEN – GOING HOME.……………………………………………………244 Prelude – War’s Not Exciting After All………………………………………..244 A Real Family Reunion………………………………………………………...244 Interlude – Back at the Old Schoolhouse………………………………………249 More Family Reunions..………………………………………………………..252 CHAPTER ELEVEN – THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: REMEMBERING WAR EXPERIENCES…………………………..257 CHAPTER TWELVE – FACT, FICTION, AND CURRICULUM THEORY...……...261 Fact vs. and Fiction……………………………………………………………..261 The Ties that Bind: Fictional Narrative and Curriculum Theory………………265 CHAPTER THIRTEEN – THE REST OF MY LIFE………………………………….267 Voices Quieted, But Not Yet Silenced…………………………………………272 The Future………………………………………………………………………274 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………275 10 PROLOGUE – MY INSPIRATION It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was (Sexton, 1977). The preceding quote capsulates this entire dissertation in a mere fourteen words. My father as well as those of his generation who spent a portion their lives between the years of 1942 and 1945 as captives provide the impetus for this exploration via descriptive narrative inquiry, which allows the participants “an expression of self identity” (Glover, 2005, p. 58), and gives me, as researcher, a chance to better understand the participants, the setting in which they were placed, and their experiences biographically. I would like to say that I knew my father better than anyone. But, since our lives intersected for only thirty-six of his seventy-seven years, I really knew very little about him. I carry with me what I observed, what I was told about him by others, and what he, himself, told me. There is no way for me to know for certain what his life during the years of World War II was really like. So, at this point in my life, the best I can do is glean what I can from his peers. It really does not matter if he was a sinner or a saint. What matters is how I remember him. I choose to remember him by placing him in context with those who fought figuratively by his side, on both sides of the barbed wire. The pages that follow are an amalgam of historical facts, genuine and fictional characters, and factual first-hand accounts of World War II experiences of my father and three of his peers. William Austin Burgess was 44-years old when I was born. He was not really forty-four, so a more thorough explanation is in order in ensuing pages. Because of 11 numerous health problems
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