The Daily News-Journal from Murfreesboro, Tennessee • 9

THE DAILY NEWS JOURNAL SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2004 A A9 Local Feature Soldier's role in liberation of Dachau recalled TWir I- tile 1 by Dan WW 1. v- Hi II Ks the German mayor of Frankfurt under control," Garner said. "The German thought he was still in control, and he would not obey American soldiers' demands after we had occupied the city. "I had a riding crop with some real heavy lead in it when they asked me to go to Frankfurt and bring the mayor under control," Garner said. "I told my machine-gun armed soldiers not to knock on his door.

Behind that door sat the German mayor behind his big office desk covered with glass. In German customs, the bigger the desk, the bigger power you thought you had. Before saying a word, I took that riding crop and just started breaking all the glass on the desk and in the office. "Hitler had taught the Germans only to respect one thing: authority," Garner said at the 1995 forum. "But I got the German mayor's attention and told him to obey our officer's commands, and he did obey." Services were held earlier this month at Murfreesboro First Baptist Church for Gamer, who, in addition to his wife, is survived by his son.

Dr. James Garner, of Murfreesboro; daughters Janet Lee of Prospect, and Lynn Whitmire of Indianapolis; a brother, Jesse Garner of Morrison, and sisters Azalena Bishop of Sevierville and Sara Gibson of Tuscumbia, Ala. After WW II, Garner, owned and operated the Prescription Shop which was located many years in the old James K. Polk Hotel before moving to its current location on College Street. "We were married 61 years," Mrs.

Garner said. "My husband was not able to speak about his wartime experiences for a few years after coming home from the war. Finally, after some healing years passed, he could talk about WW II." Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the frayed nerves of those in bed shadowy figures of Gypsies, destined to die, were reflected in the moonlight and death camp tower lights." Those words came from the pen of Dachau No. 135584; a Jew whose life appeared to be at an end at the German death camp in the early morning hours of April 29, 1945. This coming week marks the 59th anniversary of the date that fate and a soldier from Murfrees-boro intervened on behalf of No.

135584. Nothing U.S. World War II soldiers had faced in battling across Europe into the heartland of Germany steeled them for what they were about to see inside the death camps. "I was a provost marshal to U.S. Gen.

Wade 4Ham' Haislip," said the late James Garner in 1995. Garner, a long-time Murfrees-boro resident, died at age 87 on April 4. "Our Rainbow Division jwas on the forefront of the Allied advance through Germany. Although Gen. George Patton, who always had press with him, got the publicity, we were always out in front of him." The historic push resulted in then Provost Marshal Garner being the first liberator to step inside the walls of Dachau, German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler's first death camp for the victims of his so-called Final Solution.

"I stepped foot through a freshly blasted hole in the wall of Dachau," Garner recalled in 1995. One of those saved from death in the gas chamber was Arnold Shay, Dachau No. 135584. Shay and Garner were reunited in April 1995 when the Holocaust survivor came to speak at an MTSU history forum titled "Precious Remnants: The Holocaust after 50 years on the National Archives Prisoners at the German Dachau death camp cheer their allied liberators in this April 1945 photo. 50th anniversary of the liberation of Dachau.

MTSU professor Lon Nuell, a member of the Tennessee Governor's Holocaust Commission, remembers the fateful reunion of Garner and Shay. Shay now resides in homes he has in Florida and Michigan, Nuell said. "It upsets me greatly when hearing someone say they don't believe the Holocaust happened Nuell said. "It's portraying people like Mr. Shay and Mr.

Garner as liars, as well as historic figures such as Generals Patton and Eisenhower. I can't understand how they can do that to those who served and gave so much." Nuell said the reunion of Garner and Shay was emotionally charged. Nuell was at Nashville's Legislative Plaza Tuesday for the state's official anniversary of the liberation of the German death camps. At the 1995 forum, Shay said he remembered seeing Garner coming through the wall. Tears spilled from the eyes of Garner and Shay as they initially embraced.

"It was quite a reunion," said Garner's wife, Geraldine Garner. "Mr. Shay stayed at our home the one night in 1995 when he came to reunite with my husband and observe the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Dachau Speaking first in the forum, Shay described events that put him in the death camp. "Death stalked our hometown's ghetto. On the night the said.

"Lifeless, skin-and-bone corpses with big heads, lay piled like cord wood on the railroad leading into Dachau. Gassing continued until we stepped through the wall." Shay said he was standing in line to be gassed when Garner and other U.S. liberating soldiers stepped through the wall. "We were assembled out in the compound yard," he said. "We were afraid to talk.

"We were the last assembled to die, since we were functionaries in needed jobs, but the Germans didn't want to leave us as witnesses to the mass murdering of innocent helpless people." During his part of the forum, Garner described another incident of the war. "Another unit's provost marshal was having trouble getting en route to Dachau. At the MTSU event, Garner described his part in the liberation of Dachau. Initially, a wave of emotion caused Garner's shoulders to shudder. "It's too painful," Garner began unevenly.

"It hurts too much." In gathering himself. Garner finally managed to speak, "It was the most searing moment of my life you can't imagine what humans can do to humans. There are war deaths, and you can accept that. But it is unacceptable, the Holocaust that hap- pened at Dachau, and we can never allow it to be forgotten. "How anyone could believe today the Holocaust did not happen is beyond me when I saw the corpses stacked up," Garner Einstazgruppen burst through the door to our living quarters, the Germans ordered my father to get out of bed' Shay said.

"The Germans said they wanted to talk with him at the police station, and Father told the Germans he knew what they had in mind, and he would rather die in bed in his own home. "The Germans looked at one another, the leader laughed, and said they would be pleased to fulfill the old man's wishes," Shay said. "He ordered them to strike my father until his wishes were carried out. "We could hear the bones cracking, and it was too much for me to bear, and I ran to help my father," he continued. "I was struck from the rear by a rifle butt and lost consciousness." When he woke up, Shay was Metro presentation triggers Cannon debate MTSU blast probed (Continued from page A6) "It was crazy, but it was neat," he said.

Matt Manix, a junior at Nicks Hall, said "I thought it was someone goofing around." But he admitted the noise was nrpftv Inurl Maniif mm- said. "It is kind of ridiculous." "The night before (Tuesday) there was a female student who complained to residential life about an explosion that was thought to be a firecracker," Brewer said, but that incident was not called in to public safety. "While investigating the second incident, the remnants of the first device were found," he said. The device was smaller with the cleaner and aluminum foil in a 20-ounce soda bottle. Anyone with information about the incident are encouraged to call public safety at "It doesn't seem to fit small places like we are." She added that Woodbury and Cannon County were combined at one time on solid waste management, but are now operating separately.

"We (Woodbury) split off because we felt like we were paying more than we should be," she said. "We saved a lot (by) buying our own truck and hauling garbage to Walter Hill landfill." She said she is pleased that Woodbury has its own mayor and board of aldermen and can make its own decisions. 'The application of it would take some working through to find out where mutual areas of responsibilities would be and to have a harmonious transfer." Jennings said he hopes there would be a lot of information shared with people and that "we work on the basis of facts and not hearsay and rumor." Woodbury Vice Mayor Dotty Duggin has her mind made up about metro government. "I am totally against it. There are very few counties in Tennessee (three) that are metro, and one of the reasons is it hasn't been a working thing she said.

mission and the board of zoning appeals for the Woodbury as well as the county industrial board. "I have been an advocate of it for a long time, but it is up to the voters to decide what they want," he said. Jennings likes the economy of metro government in providing utilities and not having as much duplication of services. But he said metro government has a long road ahead of it before it would be enacted by the county. "It is easy to say 'Let's have metro government" he said.

(Continued from page A6) Avera. "County taxes have gone up the last two years." Woodbury Alderman Charlie Harrell doubts much money would be saved by the merger. "The only joint service in Woodbury and Cannon County is law enforcement he said. "If we combine two governments I don't think we would eliminate any of the people in any of the offices." Local businessman Bill Jennings is for metro government. He is a partner in Jennings Motors, owns a local dental practice and is on both the planning com pared the noise to a small gunshot." "Someone said it woke him up," Walters added.

Other Nicks Hall residents mingling around their rooms said the noise was loud, but it compared to noise they normally heard around the dorm. "Someone shot a bottle rocket off the third floor today," Walters Friday, April 30 6:30 p.m. 9:30 p.n. Opening Night SpecUl Salute to Future Jan Greatf flltU Hay Saturday, May 1 Schedule of Events! Kenny Garret Quartet 1 1 Riverdale High School Jazz band 1 2 MTSU Jazz Ensemble 11:00 afPi. p.n 7 'Quartet Featuring the Kenny Garrett A i J'r mainstreet The Liz Johnson Quartet ON THE SQUARE fPCI Saxy Scales The Brothers 4 The Don Aliquo Quartet a a.

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mo; lots of food and fun I For more information, call (615)895-1887 VCYIJOJ1 wireless '1- JU A-b Carrrtvvjcw, art T)w Hacrd fnabwfflW far tAU. www.americancellular.net Chambers Guitars Haynes Brothers Lumber Company The Clay Cup Cafe The Country Gourmet MTSU School of Music Friday Night Sponsors McLean Family Charftabla Fund World Outreoch Church Children Area Sponsor Marshall's YMCA Milliard Lyons T-shirt Sponsor BridgestoneFirestone Trust Fund Ingram Book Group Middle Tennessee Medical Center StoneCrest Medical Center Bluesboro Rhythm Blues Co. 2846 S. Rutherford Murfreesboro (Next to Wal-Mart Supercenter) 615-890-1439 1 33 ames Luscinski Dr. Murfreesboro (Behind Bcnkin tobbins Next to Smoothie Bear) 615-895-3465 kr- Jdhm In t-r WAjhq Hem CWi MTfMC, lafaM Cowwrtom Oraup.

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