He Went in a Private, Came out a Lt. Colonel
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Are storytellers Gregg Allman born to tell Bearing the Cross big whoppers? Page 4 Page 6 Home of MIKE KILTS 132nd YEAR - NO. 48 Tuesday, JUNE 13, 2017 TWO SECTIONS - 75¢ PER COPY The German Buchenwald Prison Camp Auburntown native Major Frank E. Willard of the 738th Field Artillery Batt alion’s penned this article for The Cannon Courier in 1945. This was his account of the Buchenwald concentration camp, which was liberated by American forces at 3:15 p.m. on April 11, 1945. Willard visited the camp the morning of April 22, 1945. I will tell you what I saw yesterday with my own eyes because I was there in person. It was no propaganda, no unoffi cial newspaper, radio or magazine reports — just a plain fact. On my way home from London, England, I visited, to- gether with two lieutenant colonels, Hitler’s Buchenwald concentration camp, which is located about fi ve miles southwest of Weimar, Germany. This has been described by many prisoners as one of the “bett er” camps. We were met at the entrance of this camp by one who had formerly been an internee of this camp, a Czech civil- ian prisoner. He spoke English sparingly, but there was litt le need for him to speak at all, as each scene spoke for itself. He off ered his assistance as a guide. We assured him that we were very appreciative of his service and as our time was limited, to show us only a few of the scenes, and to be brief. Our guide stated that during the past six years, of 21 nationalities, including British and American, 51,000 had been murdered and one million died a natural death (I found out later what he meant by natural death). The fi rst place we visited was a basement room of a large building. The room was about 15 feet by 30 feet. Our guide explained that this was the hanging room. Along the top of the walls were about 30 hooks. The victims counted off in groups of 30 and marched in. After the door was closed, each prisoner’s hands were tied behind him, a short rope looped around his neck and he was lifted up and hung by KEN BECK photos the loose end of the rope on the hook, with his back to the Auburntown native Frank Willard, who turned 100 June 11, holds a portrait of himself as he appeared during World wall. After he had hung there about four minutes, if he War II. Willard entered the war as a private in 1941 and came out a lieutenant colonel seven years later. He served were not dead a guard took a large club about the size of in Europe with the 738th Field Artillery Batt alion, which fi red 28,363 shells at the Germans. After the war ended in a baseball bat and fi nished him up. Below each hook we Europe, he wrote a story for The Cannon Courier describing the horrors he observed after a visit to Buchenwald could observe where victims’ fi ngernails had dug in the concentration camp in Weimar, Germany. concrete as he strangled to death. After the bodies were taken from the hooks they were placed on an elevator and lifted to the oven room. In this room were six ovens, each oven burned fi ve bodies at a He went in a private, time. The ovens were equipped with coal pits and elec- tric blowers. The bodies were placed on a tray and when the door was pushed in, much of the same manner as our cannoneers open the breech-block and shove the projec- tile home with the rammer staff . came out a Lt. Colonel In one oven was a body which could still be recognized as such because Germans had had to fl ee before the job Auburntown’s Frank Willard served in WWII, After graduating from was fi nished. The SS guards mott o which was whispered Auburn High School in in the ears of every prisoner as he entered the camp was, saw the horrors of a concentration camp 1936, he entered Middle “You come through the gate and go out through the chim- Tennessee State Universi- ney.” I could understand what they meant. We stepped KEN BECK ty that fall. Two years later into an adjacent room and there was a large pile of hu- The Cannon Courier he began teaching at Can- man ashes about four feet in height and about six feet in non County schools and diameter. Cannon County’s Frank taught one year at Jones’ The guide then directed us to the outside of the build- Eagleton Willard has seen Chapel on Pleasant Ridge ing where there were two piles of what could still be the best and the worst of and two years at Sanders recognized as human bodies. They were piled into two mankind over nearly a Fork School. piles of about 25 bodies each. The bodies were naked and century of living. “I att ended MTSU were nothing but skin and bones. These people had been The Auburntown na- for two years after high starved and killed. The Germans did not have time to tive plans to celebrate his school. At that time you burn the bodies before the Americans came. 100th birthday next week could teach in elementa- The guide remarked, “These are my comrades.” I had with family and friends ry school if you had two at his home in Clarksville, See HE WENT, Page 9 See GERMAN, Page 9 Tenn. Willard served during World War II as the S-3 in the 738th Field Artillery During his tenure in the U.S. Army, Frank Willard re- Batt alion in a unit that was ceived fi ve batt le stars and the Bronze Star and earned his part of Gen. George Pat- stripes as a corporal, second lieutenant, fi rst lieutenant, ton’s Third U.S. Army. captain, major and lieutenant colonel. On the morning of April 22, 1945, he entered Bu- I’m an American, and Auburntown on June 11, chenwald concentration thank God Hitler never 1917. He and two sisters, camp and saw the horrors got to America.’” Lillie Willard and Alberta of a death camp. Among His original story ap- Griffi th, both of McMin- other sights, he looked pears with this feature. nville, are the only three upon piles of naked bod- Please read his descrip- survivors of 11 siblings ies that were nothing but tion of what he saw fi rst- in the family. Their father skin and bones. hand some 72 years ago. had a farm and raised Shortly after this expe- “I went into the Army catt le, sheep, hogs, corn, rience, Willard wrote an June 13, 1941, and was wheat and hay. article about what he wit- discharged June 20, 1948,” At the age of 11, Wil- nessed for The Cannon recollected Willard. “I lard was sent to live with Courier. Near the end of went from private to lieu- grandfather, Matt Willard, his story, he concluded, tenant colonel in seven and stayed with him un- “What I have seen the past years.” til his death in 1933. His Atwo months has made The son of W.G. and grandfather set aside $500 Frank Willard stands on the end of the barrel of a howitz er on Aug. 19, 1943. The gun my heart bleed and say Gertrude Willard was that Frank was to use for weighed 15 tons and fi red an 8-inch diameter shell that had a maximum range of 10.5 many times, ‘Thank God born two miles west of college. miles. See Cannon Blast on Page 7 It’s not too late to apply! mtsu.edu/apply 0617-4385 / Middle Tennessee State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. See our full policy at www.mtsu.edu/titleix. PAGE 2 CANNON COURIER JUNE 13 2017 CCANNONA N N O N COURIERC O U R I E R MEMORIALS O B I T U A R I E S Oakley Carlie Blanton Janice Carol Shipp Oakley Carlie Blanton, 80, passed away Friday, June 02, Janice Carol Shipp, 64, passed away Thursday, June 01, 2017 at Woodbury Health and Rehab. He was a native of 2017 at St. Thomas Rutherford. She was a resident of Cannon Co. Cannon Co., TN. She is survived by her parents, Martha & Bobby Barrett He is survived by his Son & Daughter-in-law, Tim & of Woodbury; her husband of 46 years, Ray Shipp of Janie Blanton of Woodbury; Grandson, Clint (Jerrilyn) Woodbury; Children, Amy (Phillip) Parton and Kevin Blanton of Woodbury; Great Granddaughter, Carlie Shipp all of Woodbury; Grandchildren, Ally & Jacob Blanton of Unionville; Siblings, Arnett a Carrick, Jimmy Parton of Woodbury and Ashlee Gunter of Smithville; Ray (Carolyn) Blanton and Gladys (Larry) Tucker all of Siblings, Michael (Beverly) Barrett , Vickie Winfrey and Woodbury, Melba (Leo) Jacobs of Centertown; Sister-in- Katrina Haston all of Woodbury; Sister-in-law, Ann law, Imogene Blanton of Woodbury; Many beloved nieces (Larry) Chandler of Winchester. Many beloved nieces and and nephews also survive. nephews also survive Oakley was preceded in death by his parents, Joe & Janice was preceded in death by her sister and brother-in- Inez Bell Blanton and his brothers, Bobby Joe and Aaron law, Sharon & Russell Fann and sister-in-law, Jane Tinkey. Blanton. She was a member of the New Hope Church of Christ and a homemaker. Janice was a loving mother, wife and Nana.