The Music Man On The Battlefield

The Sierra County Sentinel ^ | 11/9/12 | Etta Pettijohn

[girlangler]

“A quiet man of music, denied a simpler fate . . . He gave to me a gift I know I never can repay … He tried to be a soldier once, but his music wouldn’t wait . . .” -- Leader of the Band, Dan Fogelberg.

The Music Man on The Battlefield

By Etta Pettijohn

Music was Ed Harn’s life, the pulse that has carried him through 91 years of creative existence, beginning as a boy in Murphysboro, Illinois, and through the challenges rendered on the battlefield in France during World War II. The resident of the New Mexico Veteran’s Hospital is as humble and thoughtful today as he was when Uncle Sam ordered him, at age 21, to report to the local draft board. He speaks today in a soft, steady voice about his journey, from the days as a student majoring in music at a college in the Midwest, to recent times receiving recognition for his creative expressions on canvas. In between, he was afforded a side trip to France and Czechoslovakia, courtesy of the United States Army 8th Armored Division. As a result, the gentle, soft-spoken man who loved music experienced one of the most violent and bloody chapters of modern history.

BATTLE BOUND

The 8th Armored Division was established in 1942, when the devastating successes of the German armored units in Poland and France stressed the need for an effective American armored force. The Division was activated in April 1942, at Fort Knox, Ky., for this purpose. In 1944, it functioned as a training command station at Camp Polk, La. While in Louisiana, Harn trained troops in machine gun use, until he received orders for England, then on to France. “We were in England six weeks before we crossed the river into France,” said Harn. “Our job was to protect the tanks, although I had believed it was the other way around.” His unit would travel in advance of the tanks and clear the towns of any resistance. Much of the time, he said, they would walk in front of the tanks and have Germans firing over their heads. “It was a good situation for the (enemy) machine gunners,” he said jokingly, “because we were usually the first ones to get shot.” He recalls the close calls, like the time a soldier directly in front of him was shot and killed. They had started across a highway when a burst of machine gun fire cut him down. “I called for a medic and watched as they valiantly tried to save him,” Harn remembered. ”I have total respect for the Army medics, who operate in very dangerous situations, and stay focused on saving lives, even while in danger of death.” He said there were more medics killed than any other single job in his division. Once, when his division came upon a convoy of German ambulances, he was ordered to take about 50 prisoners. “I was at the back of one of our tanks, when my lieutenant told me to stop the convoy and take them prisoner,” said Harn. “He said he’d cover me with the tank from the ditch. I stood in the middle of the road and pointed my gun at them. There were six to eight ambulances carrying about 50 German medics.” Looking back, Harn said he’s grateful he didn’t take the advice of superiors in Basic Training, when they encouraged him to join the tank crew. “I told them no,” he said, “and I’m glad, because the first day of combat we lost 12 out of 15 tanks.” And yes, he said, he was scared at times—but his unit moved so quickly there wasn’t time to think about it. “I didn’t think I was scared, however I did a lot of riding on the back of tanks, where it was warm. One day I hopped off and realized I was still shaking. I realized I was shaking from fright.” But one of the most unforgettable and humbling experiences, he said, was the day his Division liberated a German concentration camp.

LIBERATION

According to the 8th Armored Division Association and the Holocaust Museum records in Washington, D.C, the 8th liberated Halberstadt-Zwieberge, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp, April 12-17, 1945, during its drive through central Germany. This area contained a number of Buchenwald subcamps that provided labor for the German war effort, including Halberstadt-Zwieberge I and Halberstadt-Zwieberge II. Approximately 5,000 inmates were incarcerated here, forced to build underground factories for the production of military aircraft. “As our tank convoy came upon the camp an emaciated man came up to me and fell on his knees, took my hand and began kissing it,” he said. “He spoke some broken English, and told me ‘thank you’ over and over.” The effect on the young soldier from Southern Illinois was immediate. “I was certainly moved,” he recalled solemnly.

A QUIET MAN OF MUSIC

One month before the war ended, Harn was standing in the mud outside a barn and a jeep pulled up. A man got out and asked if he could play the six- string bass. “Oh yes, certainly,” Harn answered (although he couldn’t.) As it turned out, the man was organizing a band to play for soldiers and civilians in Czechoslovakia. “Better yet, can you play saxophone?” the man asked. Harn answered affirmative once again, although this time, he was being truthful. Thus began a career that took Ed Harn to several countries and eventually earned him fame as a conductor, Founder and Director of the School Band of America and School Chorus of America. After the war, Harn taught hundreds of high school and college band members and took them to performances in several countries, while playing for famous people. He touched countless lives and shared his gift with thousands. Today, he continues to enjoy music, but only with the assistance of a hearing aid. “I can’t hear music easily any more,” he admits. But that doesn’t stop him from seeing and sharing his world of beautiful things. He began painting in the 1980s, and has since placed in art shows in T-or-C, as well as selling some of his artwork. At 91, Ed Harn continues to share his many gifts.

To watch a touching photographic and musical tribute to Ed Harn on YouTube go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1_0PC8gPAM.

“A quiet man of music, denied a simpler fate . . . He gave to me a gift I know I never can repay … He tried to be a soldier once, but his music wouldn’t wait . . .” -- Leader of the Band, Dan Fogelberg.

The Music Man on The Battlefield

By Etta Pettijohn

Music was Ed Harn’s life, the pulse that has carried him through 91 years of creative existence, beginning as a boy in Murphysboro, Illinois, and through the challenges rendered on the battlefield in France during World War II. The resident of the New Mexico Veteran’s Hospital is as humble and thoughtful today as he was when Uncle Sam ordered him, at age 21, to report to the local draft board. He speaks today in a soft, steady voice about his journey, from the days as a student majoring in music at a college in the Midwest, to recent times receiving recognition for his creative expressions on canvas. In between, he was afforded a side trip to France and Czechoslovakia, courtesy of the United States Army 8th Armored Division. As a result, the gentle, soft-spoken man who loved music experienced one of the most violent and bloody chapters of modern history.

BATTLE BOUND

The 8th Armored Division was established in 1942, when the devastating successes of the German armored units in Poland and France stressed the need for an effective American armored force. The Division was activated in April 1942, at Fort Knox, Ky., for this purpose. In 1944, it functioned as a training command station at Camp Polk, La. While in Louisiana, Harn trained troops in machine gun use, until he received orders for England, then on to France. “We were in England six weeks before we crossed the river into France,” said Harn. “Our job was to protect the tanks, although I had believed it was the other way around.” His unit would travel in advance of the tanks and clear the towns of any resistance. Much of the time, he said, they would walk in front of the tanks and have Germans firing over their heads. “It was a good situation for the (enemy) machine gunners,” he said jokingly, “because we were usually the first ones to get shot.” He recalls the close calls, like the time a soldier directly in front of him was shot and killed. They had started across a highway when a burst of machine gun fire cut him down. “I called for a medic and watched as they valiantly tried to save him,” Harn remembered. ”I have total respect for the Army medics, who operate in very dangerous situations, and stay focused on saving lives, even while in danger of death.” He said there were more medics killed than any other single job in his division. Once, when his division came upon a convoy of German ambulances, he was ordered to take about 50 prisoners. “I was at the back of one of our tanks, when my lieutenant told me to stop the convoy and take them prisoner,” said Harn. “He said he’d cover me with the tank from the ditch. I stood in the middle of the road and pointed my gun at them. There were six to eight ambulances carrying about 50 German medics.” Looking back, Harn said he’s grateful he didn’t take the advice of superiors in Basic Training, when they encouraged him to join the tank crew. “I told them no,” he said, “and I’m glad, because the first day of combat we lost 12 out of 15 tanks.” And yes, he said, he was scared at times—but his unit moved so quickly there wasn’t time to think about it. “I didn’t think I was scared, however I did a lot of riding on the back of tanks, where it was warm. One day I hopped off and realized I was still shaking. I realized I was shaking from fright.” But one of the most unforgettable and humbling experiences, he said, was the day his Division liberated a German concentration camp.

LIBERATION

According to the 8th Armored Division Association and the Holocaust Museum records in Washington, D.C, the 8th liberated Halberstadt-Zwieberge, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp, April 12-17, 1945, during its drive through central Germany. This area contained a number of Buchenwald subcamps that provided labor for the German war effort, including Halberstadt-Zwieberge I and Halberstadt-Zwieberge II. Approximately 5,000 inmates were incarcerated here, forced to build underground factories for the production of military aircraft. “As our tank convoy came upon the camp an emaciated man came up to me and fell on his knees, took my hand and began kissing it,” he said. “He spoke some broken English, and told me ‘thank you’ over and over.” The effect on the young soldier from Southern Illinois was immediate. “I was certainly moved,” he recalled solemnly.

A QUIET MAN OF MUSIC

One month before the war ended, Harn was standing in the mud outside a barn and a jeep pulled up. A man got out and asked if he could play the six- string bass. “Oh yes, certainly,” Harn answered (although he couldn’t.) As it turned out, the man was organizing a band to play for soldiers and civilians in Czechoslovakia. “Better yet, can you play saxophone?” the man asked. Harn answered affirmative once again, although this time, he was being truthful. Thus began a career that took Ed Harn to several countries and eventually earned him fame as a conductor, Founder and Director of the School Band of America and School Chorus of America. After the war, Harn taught hundreds of high school and college band members and took them to performances in several countries, while playing for famous people. He touched countless lives and shared his gift with thousands. Today, he continues to enjoy music, but only with the assistance of a hearing aid. “I can’t hear music easily any more,” he admits. But that doesn’t stop him from seeing and sharing his world of beautiful things. He began painting in the 1980s, and has since placed in art shows in T-or-C, as well as selling some of his artwork. At 91, Ed Harn continues to share his many gifts.

To watch a touching photographic and musical tribute to Ed Harn on YouTube go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1_0PC8gPAM.

[HiTech RedNeck]

you can say that twice

you can say that twice

[Liberty Valance]

Great story. Thanks for posting. We are losing so many great WWII generation teachers/leaders like Ed Harn every day. I’ve always loved Dan Fogelberg’s touching tribute to his own father and it fits so well here with the pics of Mr Harn, his family and band members ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1_0PC8gPAM