East
Tennessee native to head Army in Europe
OAK RIDGE – Tennessee can
add another native to it’s long list of prominent military
figures.
The United States Senate officially approved U.S. Army General
Burwell B. Bell III on Oct. 17 for the top post in America’s
European command. President George W. Bush nominated Bell for
the command position earlier this year. He will advance from
Lieutenant General to general rank and take over U.S. Army forces
in Europe (USAREUR).
The 55-year-old Oak Ridge native is expected to relinquish his
command Fort Hood, Texas and assume his new post in Heidelberg,
Germany early next year. He will be replacing Gen. Montgomery
Meigs who is expected to retire at the end of the year. Meigs
has led the Army’s European forces for the past four years.
General Burwell "B.B." Bell III is the son of career
Army officer B.B. Bell Jr., who was assigned to the Manhattan
project following his graduation from the United States Military
Academy at West Point in 1943. He worked for Union Carbide Nuclear
Division as an instrumentation engineer at the Oak Ridge Y-12
Plant and the Oak Ridge K-25 Site until his retirement in 1973.
He passed away last year at age 84 in Kingston following a brief
illness.
Bell was born in Oak Ridge on April 9, 1947. He graduated from
Oak Ridge High School where he played football and went on to
attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and enroll
in the Reserved Officers Training Corps. He advanced in ROTC
and decided to do four years in the Regular Army. During his
first posting in Germany, the Oak Ridge native decided to make
a career in the service. He worked himself through the ranks
of the Army proving himself an able officer and military professional.
He served as Executive Office to Gen. Norman Schwartkopz during
the 1990-91 Gulf War where he received a Bronze Star and went
on to serve as Chief of Staff during Operation Joint Endeavor
in the Balkans. During his tenure, he became regarded as an
officer who could get the job done.
In addition to the Bronze Star, he has also received the Distinguished
Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit
with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Oak
Leaf Cluster, and the Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf
Clusters.
Gen. Bell’s posts have included Fort Knox, assignments
in Europe and his current assignment as commanding general at
Fort Hood, Texas.
Bell will be the Commanding General, United States Army Europe
and will be one of eight four-star generals now serving in the
Army. He will be over more than 60,000 active duty troops that
are a combat ready force, including two armored divisions. Although
based in Europe, his new command is available for immediate
deployment anywhere in the world.
The possible role of the European forces in any planned action
against Iraq are unknown, but is believed, after a solution
is found to the current situation in the Middle Eastern nation,
the administration will continue the policy of reorganizing
the European command. Some have said they expect Bell to be
the best man for the task ahead and have described the next
few years in Europe as a turning point for American forces.
Military officials say they expect some changes to be made in
America’s European forces and say Bell is the perfect candidate
to "facilitate any such transformations" and maintain
the strong ties America has with their allies in Europe while
such changes are being made.
According to those close to the general and those who have served
under him, Gen. Bell is regarded as a tough, no-nonsense officer
and a brilliant field commander, who balances tough demands
on his troops with a high priority on taking care of their families.
Retired General and White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey describes
Bell as "probably the best all-around field commander"
he has known in his 32 plus years of military service.
His wife, former Chattanooga resident Kathleen Bell, have always
made the families of soldiers a top priority throughout his
career in the Army and dedicated their time to numerous volunteer
activities on base to make life easier for the families of servicemen
and women.
When not on duty, Gen. Bell stays close to his Tennessee roots
as a hunter and skeet shooter. Both he and his wife are also
avid Tennessee football fans. They have one grown son, Burwell
Bell IV, who currently resides in Tampa, FL.
Revolutionary
War’s ‘Battle of Boyd’s Creek’
reenactment to be held Dec. 13-15 in Sevierville
SEVIERVILLE – The John Sevier Chapter
of the Sons of The American Revolution are preparing for their
upcoming "Battle of Boyds Creek" encampment and reenactment
scheduled for Dec. 13 - 15 on Boyds Creek Highway in Sever County.
The reenactment commemorates the battle of Boyds Creek, which
was fought on Dec. 16, 1780 by then-Colonel John Sevier and
his group of soldiers who had just returned from the Battle
of Kings Mountain. Sevier defeated a large force of Cherokee
Indians who had attacked the settlers while he and his soldiers
were away engaged in the King's Mountain battle. The Cherokee
were allied with the British during the war and were used effectively
by the Crown in numerous engagements along the frontier of North
America.
Historians would later call the Battle of Boyds Creek "one
of the best fought battles in the border region of Tennessee
and the only Revolutionary War engagement in the region.
For two days, the reenactors will be encamped at the site and
the actual battle reenactment will take place on Dec. 15.
Admission to the event is free for both spectators and those
wishing to participate in the battle.
Costume for the event will include both colonial uniforms and
wear often associated with the backwoodsmen of the era as well
as Cherokee Dress.
"This is a first-rate educational activity for students
and families," said Mary Ann Clark, "and the event
attracts more and more people each year. The battle is always
the climax of the event, but the encampments of the soldiers
and the historical accuracy in everything from uniforms to camp
gear is amazing. I hope that there is a good Cherokee presence
at the event. Their historically accurate dress and encampments
are probably one of the biggest surprises to people who are
still caught up in the ‘Hollywood’ image of Native
Americans and don’t realize how wrong their depiction of
the Cherokee are. This is always a lot of fun for families to
attend."
The annual event is one that may local reenactors like to participate
in and enjoy the educational aspect of it as well.
"We really have a good time with the encampment and battle,"
said one reenactor, "and always enjoy the opportunity to
teach others about the battle and this period in American history.
Tennessee has one of the richest military heritages in the nation
and it was founded in this era of our nation’s past."
The annual Battle of Boyds Creek reenactment is free and open
to the public. Officials are hopeful that there will be a great
turnout for the event, which will feature a number of other
activities as well.
"What I find most fascinating about this region is the
vast history of it that so few of its own people seem to know,"
said one local historian. "You have on Tennessee soil a
time-line that stretches from Hernando De Soto to the French
& Indian War to the American Revolution and beyond. Old
forts, camp sites and historical places across this state that
few people remember anymore and reenactments such as this help
preserve and keep alive the history of this region. We are seeing
our Civil War history preserved through first-class reenactments
and events such as this allow us to try and preserve the other
eras in America’s past that played out here in Tennessee."
Group
launches nationwide campaign to
‘set facts straight’ on Vietnam War
KNOXVILLE
– The organization Our American Heritage Foundation is
launching a nationwide effort to place fact-based historical
information on the Vietnam War era in high schools.
Chairman Col. William L. Robinson, USA, ret. announced that
the Colorado-based foundation is offering a limited number of
Educational Enrichment Packages to qualified educators. The
$300 cost of each of the packages has been underwritten by previous
donations.
"We’re looking for support to launch this campaign
– and that’s one of the reasons we’re offering
a limited number of the packages directly to teachers. High
school or college educators need only to provide their name,
phone, details of their course, including student load, as well
as a physical mailing address to receive the extensive package
free. The package includes a VHS tape, A DVD set, a CD-ROM and
a bound Educator guide.
The educator’s package includes the award-winning film
series "The Long Way Home Project". Organization officials
say the four-part series provides a more positive and unbiased
look at the country’s longest and most misunderstood war.
It also highlights many of the misconceptions America has about
the men and women who served the country during this conflict.
It is introduced by General Norman Schwarzkopf and organization
officials say can significantly impact student understanding
of this period in American history.
"Millions of our high school students are denied access
to fact-based historical information on the Vietnam War era,"
said OAHEF chairman Col. Robinson, "because their schools
lack financial resources to obtain them. Our kids are also missing
the opportunity to be introduced to the values of loyalty, duty,
respect, service, honor and personal courage. There has been
a recent national emphasis on measuring how much our kids are
learning. But perhaps, even more important, is what our kids
are learning. President Bush said in Nashville a few weeks ago;
‘When children are given the real history of America, they
will also learn to love American,’ and I couldn’t
agree more. We owe this knowledge to our future civilian and
military leaders."
Col. William L. (Robby) Robinson, who is an alumnus of the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point, served two combat tours in Vietnam
as an Airborne Ranger.
For more information on the educator’s packages, you can
e-mail Col. Robinson at chairman@ourvaluescount.com
Preservationists
upset over archaeologist’s handling of cemetery excavation
SEVIERVILLE – Historical preservationists
and activist with the Native American Indian Movement are upset
over what they say have been broke promises at the First Baptist
Cemetery by archaeologists exhuming bodies to make room for
the new Highway 66 Connector.
In a meeting earlier this year, state archeologist Nick Fielder
promised the families of those buried in the historic cemetery
and Native Americans that they would treat the exhumations with
respect as they moved them.
Preservationists claim that archaeologists have, in fact, been
giving tours of the cemetery to schools and displaying the remains
as they worked on them.
"This is an outrage," said Native American Indian
Movement spokesman Carl Whitaker. "Nick Fielder and the
other archaeologists stated they would treat these remains with
dignity and they have turned it into a circus. They took the
tarp down where they were working on the grave sites, put up
a fence and were giving tours where those who came could see
them brushing skulls and other human remains. This is TDOT’s
way of showing respect to the dead? No one told us in the meetings
that when they did this, they would turn it into a sideshow."
A front porch of a house adjacent to the cemetery, which had
been serving as a makeshift laboratory of sorts, was destroyed
in a car accident last week. No one was hurt in the incident.
According to reports, archaeologists are through exhuming bodies
in the cemetery, but now activists and preservationists alike
are wanting to see the reports and get an accounting of the
bodies exhumed.
Activists are claiming that archaeologists have also been searching
the banks of the river for artifacts - a point which angered
many Native Americans who were told repeatedly by state archaeologists
that the site had no relevance to Native American history.
"I want a list of the artifacts they are finding and have
found to make sure they don’t disappear," said Whitaker.
"They came in here and railroaded this project down the
throats and against the wishes of the families buried here and
wasted taxpayer money giving second-rate tours and searching
for Native American artifacts. The white and Native American
families buried here deserve more respect than this and it just
shows the arrogance of TDOT and the archaeologists. Sevierville
and Sevier County officials once they got word of what the archaeologists
were doing should have been down here putting a stop to it.
These grave sites are of the founders of this region and deserve
to be treated like they are."
NAIM and other local historical preservationists are expected
to protest the actions by the archaeologists and hold them accountable
for what they say was an act of open defiance to the descendents
who’s ancestors are buried at the site.
"We were promised that this would be handled with the utmost
respect and dignity," said a descendent of one of those
buried in the cemetery, "and when I found out about what
they were doing, I was just sick over it. We asked some of those
there about it and they denied it happening, but there are numerous
credible witnesses to it. How would you like someone digging
up your grandfather or grandmother and showing their bones to
people? It makes me mad thinking how the state and local government
refused to compromise on a road project that would destroy a
historic downtown cemetery. We did not want this road, we do
not need it and it makes me mad that, after they say it is going
to happen anyway, they come in here and make a sideshow out
of destroying it."
Archaeologists are reportedly finishing up the excavation and
reinternment and expected to be off the site within the next
week or two.
Last week’s news that Congress cut $83.4 million from Tennessee’s
highway repair and construction budget has many people wondering
if the road project will continue or be stopped because of funding.
The American Road and Transportation Builders Association say
the cut will cost Tennessee 2,673 road building jobs.
Southern
Military Institue finds acceptance in Tennessee
KNOXVILLE – The Southern Military Institute
is getting closer to reality in Tennessee as a group of business
people in East and Middle regions of the state say they are
currently locating real estate suitable for the private institution.
The movement to establish a new military academy in Tennessee
based upon the Virginia Military Institute and the Citadel has
garnered interest across the state from parents and potential
students who say they would like to see a first-rate military-style
academy in Tennessee.
In the tradition of the original "Institute" organizing
founders hope to establish a small private all-male engineering
and science institution emphasizing the foundations of religion
and morality and say it will also provide a sound background
in the history of Western Civilization, American politics, Constitutional
studies and military history.
Organizers say SMI will be modeled after VMI and will seek to
preserve the elements of the Citadel as well as some of those
of the old West Point. It will be a non-denominational Christian
college that hopes to preserve the gentleman-officer training
programs and enable qualified male students to complete academic
four-year degrees in selected areas of science and engineering.
U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Famer and VMI alumni Col. John Daniel,
USA, ret. sits on the board of the organization and say he has
been surprised by the number of people in Tennessee who are
willing to support SMI.
"Tennessee has one of the richest military histories in
the world," said Daniel, "and it is fitting that SMI
be established here. SMI will be one of only three all-male
colleges in the United States and the only all-male four-year
military college. This isn’t a statement against co-educational
programs, which are common place, but a statement in favor of
a single sex education – male or female – that we
believe still has a place in our nation. SMI will work closely
with the Army and Air National Guards in southern states and
prepare young men to assume roles of responsibility in their
ranks. This is something I believe in because of the way this
style of education prepared me to serve this nation. Furthermore,
we need to an SMI to preserve many conservative Christian traditions
that are being lost and an institution that will provide a solid
education in basic studies without the political correctness
so rampant on campuses across the nation today."
Dr. Michael Guthrie, who is one of the initial members that
first founded the non-profit organization in 1997, say he has
seen interest in SMI build greatly over the last five years
and is confident the college will eventually find a home in
Tennessee.
"We looked in East and Middle Tennessee and have found
a few likely locations in the Nashville – Franklin area,"
said Dr. Guthrie. "The Southern Military Institute will
fill a definitive need in Tennessee and the South for a four-year
all-male college that is based upon traditional Christian-American
values. I have had inquiries regarding it from families across
the state and southeast who are hopeful we can have the college
operational and underway when their sons are ready to start
making college selections. We still have a little way to go,
but we keep picking up support every day from business people
across the state who clearly see the value of putting a first-rate
private institution like this in Tennessee."
The Southern Military Institute does have an Internet site for
those interested in leaning more about it at www.south-mil-inst.org
Government
tries to seek settlement on
‘Road to Nowhere’
GATLINBURG
– They have names like Bone Valley, Hazel Creek and Pilkey’s
Creek. They are three of 28 Family and community cemeteries
located along the north shore of Fontana Lake on the North Carolina
side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
When the land was taken away to build Fontana Dam, the families
displaced were promised a road to the cemeteries where they
could visit the sites of graves of their family members –
places where once mountain communities thrived. A road was started,
but environmentalists fought successfully to get the construction
stopped and the road became known as "the road to nowhere."
For many on both sides of the mountain, it was one in a string
of broken promises by the federal government. In order to accommodate
the families, the Tennessee Valley Authority provided barges
to take family members along the coastal shores of Fontana Lake
to visit the cemeteries left inaccessible by the road’s
incompletion. The ages of those taking the barges to "Decoration
Day" ranged from 9-90-years-old.
In the 1980s, then-Tennessee Senators Jim Sasser and Al Gore
tried to get the region known as the North Shore declared a
Wilderness Area, which brought a storm of protest from descendants
of those buried in the cemeteries that became a national story.
Retiring North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms was a constant advocate
for the families and fought to get the federal government to
keep its promise in North Carolina just as they did he claimed
with the Foothills Parkway in Tennessee.
Now the federal government is trying to find a way to come to
a cash settlement arrangement with Swain County, NC in order
to escape the promise they made to the families they displaced.
Swain County is regarded as one of the poorer counties in the
Smoky Mountain region and, while the money is an attractive
offer, many of the families displaced in the 1940s now reside
in areas other than Swain County and say the government should
keep its promise.
"These cemeteries are a valuable part of our heritage and
that of the Smoky Mountains," said Helen Newsome, "and
the government has, since the 1980s, consistently tried to find
a way to get out of keeping its promise to us and putting in
a primitive road where we could visit our family cemeteries.
I think of the number of men and women who fought to see that
the road was built and most of them have passed away and with
Sen. Helms, who knew the story of the region, is now retiring
and I guess they see an opportunity to come in with a fistful
of cash and buy there way out of it. This isn’t right and
may eventually prevent us from taking our children and grandchildren
to these special places to tell them of their families. The
Great Smoky Mountains is not a national park like Yellowstone
or any other. It was the people and their unique way of life
that captured the nation’s interest as well as the communities
here that attracted so much attention. There is so much history
there that is in danger of being forgotten."
It isn’t only families, but some fire officials who say
a primitive road would be a welcomed asset in the event of a
fire in the region.
"I can tell you a variety of reasons a road would be a
welcomed addition," said one emergency management official.
"If a fire was to break out in the vicinity of some of
those cemeteries, there is no way to get to them and, while
many rightly say that is sometimes a good thing for nature to
cleanse itself, we do have an obligation of sorts to protect
the cemetery sights. In addition, other emergency personnel
would be able to access the desolate region. This is a region
where a fugitive can get to and evade police if he knows it
well enough or hikers exploring it could become seriously injured
and need evacuation. A primitive road would have limited environmental
impact on the region and would be way to please most people."
Public meetings are expected to be held on the subject and most
are hoping those holding the meetings will give enough notice
for those interested to attend and contribute their concerns.
Remembering
Pilkey’s Creek on the North Shore
KNOXVILLE – Pilkey’s Creek native and
then-South Knoxville resident Howard Herron, often spoke of
his life growing up in the Smoky Mountains and the days following
W.W.II when veterans returning home from the battlefields literally
drove cars into the lake unaware of what had happened while
they were overseas fighting.
Throughout his life, he fought to see that they road was built
back to his old homeplace where he spent more than 20 years
of his life in a region his family had called home for more
than one hundred years.
"The government came in here when most of the men were
off to war in Europe and the Pacific and got the land. Many
relatives tried to write their husbands and fathers, but getting
mail to the front lines of the war wasn’t always a sure
thing and so many had no idea while they were off fighting for
their country and to protect their homes, their homes were being
taken away. My brothers had men beating on their doors at two
and three in the morning wondering where their families were
and their homes. It was truly a sad time for them and one where
they felt they had been cheated. Everyone wanted to help their
country and they were told this was the way to do it and the
land that was not used for Fontana Lake would be given back
to the families, but instead they turned around at gave it to
the National Park Service without ever consulting us. To make
matters worse, when everyone had lost their land, ALCOA built
an executive recreation facility on some of the land taken."
Herron went on to lament on the loss of history for both the
families in towns like Proctor and other community settlements
as well as Native Americans. Herron was well known among many
of the families for his fight to get the "Road to Nowhere"
built. He never missed a trip to his family cemetery regardless
of his advancing age and always carried his trademark hoe instead
of a walking stick. On every visit I made with him to the Pilkey’s
Creek cemetery, he walked to his brother’s old homeplace
and cleaned out a spring where he would then sit and drink water
from it before hiking over to his old homeplace where the remnants
of a stone chimney still stand and wild mountain roses planted
by his mother and grandmother dot the landscape around the old
cabin – always pointing out the Herron Branch Creek that
carries his family’s name.
"This was home," he said. "There is good land
here that supported us with food and it was a way of life unlike
any other. We grew up playing with the Cherokee and learning
how to live on the land as children and made cash money by selling
nuts and fruits we gathered farther up to the mining camps and
settlements. Maybe not paradise to people use to modern-day
conveniences, but there is so much family history that was made
here. Brothers and cousins going off to war and returning home,
children and grandchildren playing in the yard here and family
– always family. I know we will never get it back, but
if they keep going like they are now, there will be descendants
of my family that may never see it and that is a loss to more
than just us. It will be a loss to the spirit of America as
well."
Editor’s Note: Howard Herron passed away in October 1998
in Jefferson City. His family still hopes to keep the traditions
he taught them alive and hopefully see a day when they can drive
to the Pilkey’s Creek cemetery to show their children and
grandchildren the graves of their grandfathers and grandmothers
and the homeplace that once belonged to their family.
Tennessee
joins private groups in preservation project
KNOXVILLE
- In what is being heralded as the first conservation project
of its kind in the United States, the state of Tennessee has
joined forces with the Conservation Fund, Renewable Resources,
Inc. and International Paper to protect 75,000 acres of forestland
on the Cumberland Plateau.
"This purchase from International Paper showcases the power
of public-private partnerships to conserve and protect Tennessee‚s
landscape," said Gov. Don Sundquist. "This magnificent
property will be enjoyed by Cumberland Trail hikers, wildlife
watchers, sportsmen and other outdoor enthusiasts for years
to come. It is truly a treasure for all Tennesseans to enjoy.
The property, which is located 40 miles northwest of Knoxville
is divided into two large tracts and includes portions of Anderson,
Scott and Campbell counties, Under a shared-use agreement, the
land will remain a working forest available for outdoor recreation.
The Conservation Fund acquired the property‚s surface rights
from International Paper with significant financial support
from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation through its Southern
Appalachia Forest Conservation Initiative. The initiative seeks
to conserve ecologically significant lands and improve forest
management in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee and Alabama
and the Little Tennessee River Basin in North Carolina.The timber
harvesting rights were purchased by Renewable Resources, Inc.
, a private timber investment company. The property will eventually
be transferred to the state of Tennessee. "This acquisition
protects strategically important habitat for high priority migratory
songbirds such as the cerulean, golden-winged warblers and other
unique non-game and game species," said Tennessee Wildlife
Resources Agency Director Gary Myers. "The property is
also home to the state‚s only free ranging, wild population
of elk."The unique partnership received praise from conservation
officials across America.
"As a result of this project,‰ said Conservation Fund
President
Larry Selzer, „we now have a bold new model for forestland
conservation in America. I congratulate International Paper,
the state of Tennessee and Renewable Resources, Inc. for their
leadership, vision andcooperation."International Paper
is the one of the world‚s largest paper and forest products
company and say they are proud to be a part
of the conservation project.
"Due to its proximity to the Royal Blue Wildlife Management
Area and the Cumberland Trail, this land is extremely important
to Tennessee citizens,"said George O‚Brien, Senior
Vice President, Forest Products for International Paper. "We
worked hard to structure a sales agreement that assured that
the area will continue to be managed using sustainable forestry
practices, and that public recreational use will continue in
the future."
W.W.II’s
‘Band of Brothers’ to hold 60th Reunion
CHATTANOOGA – The 506th Parachute Infantry
Regiment will return to it’s roots and originating training
grounds in Toccoa, GA Oct. 2- 5 for their 60th Regimental Reunion.
The W.W. II Parachute Infantry Regiment was depicted in the
HBO mini-series "Band of Brothers." which was based
upon the book written by Stephen Ambrose.
The 506th was first created in July 1942 and placed under the
command of Col. Robert F. Sink, who developed a training program
that was considered one of the roughest in the U.S. Army –
lasting 12 hours per day and including rigorous night-time force
marches and runs through the mountains of northeast Georgia.
In November of that year, the 506th Regiment was ordered to
Fort Benning, GA for parachute training. The first battalion
moved by train from Toccoa to Ft. Benning, the Second Battalion
marched with full field equipment and weapons from Toccoa to
Atlanta – a distance of 120 miles. The Third Battalion
moved from Toccoa to Atlanta by rail and then force marched
136 miles from Atlanta to Fort Benning with full field equipment
and weapons in 72 hours. The Third Battalion’s march across
open country set the world’s record for an endurance march
that had been held by the Japanese.
Among the ranks of the legendary unit were many Tennesseans,
who would go on to serve in the parachute regiment throughout
W.W.II.
The 506th, which was attached to the 101st Airborne Division,
had one of the most outstanding combat records in the European
theater and one of the highest casualty rates. Their first major
action was in the Normandy Invasion where, in ten months and
two days of combat, the unit had 509 men killed in action and
305 reported missing. They went on to serve in numerous conflicts
in the war and made their name a household word at the Battle
of Bastogne in December 1944.
They were almost immediately surrounded by a well-supplied and
reinforced German Army, but the unit fought doggedly and kept
the Germans at bay for 28 days. The situation turned grim for
the Americans as supplies dwindled away and bad weather kept
them from receiving necessary air drops to continue their defense
of the city. When German command learned of the conditions of
the soldiers defending Bastogne, they asked for the unit’s
surrender and received the famous response "Nuts"
from the American commander.
While the members of the combat unit are in their late 70s and
early 80s, the organizers of the 60th annual Reunion of the
506th say they expect more than 150 members of the Regiment
to attend the event.
The Parachute Infantry Regiment as well as the 501st, 511th
and the 517th were all trained at Camp Toccoa, GA. The four-day
reunion will also feature the state of Georgia officially dedicating
the Highway in front of the old W.W. II training facility to
honor the men who served in the Regiment.
"Everyone is invited to attend this historic dedication
ceremony and meet these brave men and their families,"
said event spokesman and former Ranger CWO Bryan Hall Jackson,
USA, ret. "We are sadly losing our W.W.II veterans at an
alarming rate and these are the men who saved this nation during
a critical time in our history as a nation. Their actions in
W.W.II carried on and forged new traditions in the U.S. Army
Rangers and helped lay the groundwork for today’s special
operations forces. It is truly an event worth attending to meet
the men who inspired the book ‘Band of Brothers’."
The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment site dedication will begin
at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 4 on Dick Hill Parkway in Toccoa. For more
information, you can contact Bryan Jackson at (706) 638-4886
or (423) 595-0851.
Reenactors
to march to help save Franklin Battlefield
FRANKLIN - On November 15th & 16th, 2002, Civil War reenactors
will be marching
"Forty for Franklin" to help Save The Franklin Battlefield,
Inc. The twenty-one uniformed reenactors will be marching 40
miles over two days to raise funds to help retire the debt on
Collins’ Farm in Franklin.
Collins’ Farm is 3.22 acres of core battlefield Save The
Franklin Battlefield, Inc. (STFB) purchased in June 2001, preventing
it from possible commercial development. The land is on the
extreme Confederate right/Federal left of the Franklin battlefield
and was the ground General W. W. Loring's Division passed over
as they climbed the railroad
embankment and got entangled in the osage orange abatis in front
of the Federal trenches. It was this ground of which Lieutenant
William H. Berryhill of the 43rd Mississippi lamented, "I
cannot see how any human being could live two moments in such
a place."
Each of the twenty-one reenactors will portray and represent
one of the 17 Union and Confederate states that had regiments
engaged at the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. Missouri,
Kentucky, and Tennessee had troops fighting in the battle on
both sides, hence the number twenty-one. Other states represented
will be Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,
South Carolina, Texas, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
The reenactors will march 40 miles from a point along the Natchez
Trace, encamping along the way, and into Franklin, ending up
at the Collins’ Farm property on Lewisburg Pike. STFB is
encouraging groups and the general public to sponsor the reenactor
representing the state of their choice on a "per mile"
basis. The pledge is completely tax-deductible and can be sent
to: Save The Franklin Battlefield, Inc., 418 Lewisburg
Ave., Franklin, TN 37064, attn: David Fraley / Fundraising March,
or by email
maurygreys@aol.com
Save The Franklin Battlefield, Inc. is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3)
all-volunteer organization dedicated to saving a portion of
the Franklin Battlefield as a battlefield park. STFB works in
close co-operation with local governments and local, county,
state, and national historical organizations towards the preservation
and development of the rich Civil War legacy in Franklin and
Williamson County, TN. The organization leads tours of local
Civil War sites, provides speakers for various events, donates
to land acquisition projects, erects historic battlefield markers,
publishes a monthly newsletter, and maintains a web site. For
more information, call the STFB office at (615) 500-6612 or
visit their website at http://www.franklin-stfb.org/.
TDOT
gets go-ahead on Highway connector through
historic cemetery
SEVIERVILLE - A decision in Chancery Court was
handed down declaring part of the historic First Baptist Church
cemetery abandoned so that archaeological work can resume exhuming
bodies from the historic site. The decision created a fury among
historical preservationists, the Native
American Indian Movement, members of the Sevier County Chapters
of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution and the
Daughters of the War of 1812, who said they were supposed to
be notified of a court date on the matter, but did not receive
any. DAR spokesperson Helen Allen, representatives from local
historical groups and a beat reporter were on hand when the
court made the ruling that will permit the graves to be moved
so the Highway 66 connector can be built through the cemetery.
"They never gave anyone an opportunity to talk in court
about it and how
we feel,"said DAR spokesperson Helen Allen. "Judge
Pelford Fogarty said that since there was no one in a position
to identify the bodies, he would sign the order. I just wish
he would have let some of us speak in the hearing. This was
something that TDOT wanted to do. I had to thank state archaeologist
Nick Fielder, however, for speaking up and correcting the TDOT
official who said that no one knew there was graves in the cemetery."
Historical preservationists and NAIM members gathered at the
cemetery last Thursday to protest the decision. "I am furious
that we were promised to be informed of the court date on this
cemetery and never heard anything until after the fact,"said
NAIM spokesman Carl Two Feathers Whittaker. "This is standard
operating procedure for TDOT when they want their way. This
road is going to accomplish nothing as far as help traffic,
except disturb and desecrate the graves of Native American women,
children, and their husbands who bravely served this nation
as soldiers and were the principal founders of this region.
This is one of the few cemeteries where you have veterans of
the American Revolution and the War of 1812 buried. The truly
sad part is that this cemetery was given to the City as a park
to hold in trust for future generations and this is a violation
of their duty."
Activists say they will continue to do what they can to stop
the road and are hopeful a change in the governorship will put
an end to historic sites being lost to road construction.
"There are just too many ways to avoid cutting through
this cemetery and possibly damaging it forever," said one
preservationist. "What bothers me is this total disregard
for the past we are seeing in Sevier County and across the state
to historic sites such as this. They seem to have no respect
for anything but the almighty dollar and, come election time,
we are going to remember those politicians in Sevierville and
Sevier County who pushed for this project over the protests
of their constituents. They may not care about their family's
dead, but we do and will do what we can to protect them."
Controversial
"Orange Route"could threaten
Knox historic sites
KNOXVILLE - 14th District State Rep. H.E. Bittle came out of
his seat at a public meeting in August when TDOT Head Bruce
Saltsman announced they would begin construction on the so-called
"Orange Route"in the Hardin Valley region of West
Knox County. In one proposal, the highway would cut through
the cemetery of Col. Hardin, who was deeded the entire region
of Knox County for his service at the Revolutionary Battle of
King's Mountain a colonial victory by early Tennesseans often
referred to as one of the turning points of the American Revolution.
His grave site is considered a historic shrine of sorts to historians
who say it should not be desecrated.
In a closed door meeting with Saltsman and Gov. Sundquist, Bittle
was apparently told that the "Orange Route,"which
is seen primarily as a parallel road that serves no distinct
purpose in Knox County would not be built if Bittle and his
constituents did not want it. At the public meeting,
Saltsman said he did not remember the meeting.At that point,
Bittle leaped out of his chair and suit coat pointed his finger
at Saltsman and called him a liar. He took a few steps towards
the Transportation Commissioner, which caused two state troopers
to walk towards the 65-year-old state representative as if to
remove him from the meeting. Saltsman tried to continue with
his remarks at the meeting, but protests and cheers from those
supporting Bittle finally led the
Transportation Commissioner to turn to one of his people and
say disgustedly in an open microphone "Let's get the Hell
out of here."
Bittle's obvious outrage did a number on the Hardin Valley Precinct
though and brought voters out of the woodwork to vote for the
man who stood up to Saltsman and called him a liar. The legislator,
however, was running unopposed. Rep. Bittle questions the numbers
released that allegedly show
overwhelming support for the route.
"I don't know where they supposedly got the numbers that
show support for this route," said Rep. H.E. Bittle. "More
than 2,000 people have said they don't want this road and I
was told it would not be built as were many other people in
my district." Saltsman, who quipped he would be retiring
when Sundquist leaves office to play golf, had little comment
about Bittle's actions.
Historical and political action groups say they are preparing
to call for an investigation into TDOT and it's handling of
road projects.
"This has really made Gov. Don Sundquist one of the most
hated men in Tennessee politics and this will really threaten
the state's Republican party in November," said one Knoxville
political activist. "We have heard where he has threatened
to cut off money to counties if the representatives won't
rein in their constituents who are trying to stop these road
projects.‚ We know who they are and to think a governor
would try to silence taxpayers like that is just outrageous.
It doesn‚t make sense to most people to build new roads
when there are so many that need to be repaired now. TDOT and
it's commissioners need a thorough investigation and audit of
the money taxpayers have dumped into it during the last eight
years.
