Veteran Serves As Living Symbol Of Freedom’s Price

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Published: July 5, 2008

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. – Ed Shatz sat in his wheelchair aboard the final float at the Fourth of July parade waving to the hundreds of revelers who lined the street to honor him.

A couple hours later, the 90-year-old sat in the kitchen of his new home and pointed to a faded, black-and-white snapshot taken more than 60 years ago.

“This is a rabbi in the Jeep,” he said, his outstretched finger trembling a bit as he spoke. “And this is me over here.”

Still pointing, he grazed his aged finger about two inches to the left.

“This is the American flag,” he said with pride. “This is where we put up an American flag.”

In the picture, then 25-year-old Shatz stood before the city hall in Kunzelsau, Germany. The front of the building had been branded with the Nazi emblems during World War II and Shatz was there when American troops raised their flag as a symbol of freedom.

“This is for the people who said it didn’t happen,” he said. “I was in Dachau in April 1945 two days after liberation. I saw the piles of bodies readied for the ovens. I smelled them.”

Shatz is a World War II veteran. He moved to Blountville nine months ago to live with his daughter and son-in-law. On Friday, he was the guest of honor at the Blountville July 4th parade.

“I am honored. This to me is an honor to be asked to participate in this parade today. I had greetings from veterans and non-veterans,” he said, then pausing into heavy silence.

For a moment, Shatz seemed to be reflecting on his life and family. He sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by loved ones while he leafed quietly through old pictures.

“Can I cry?” he asked, finally looking up.

Another heavy silence.

“I was so proud to be there,” he said.

The sky cleared for an hour or two on Friday afternoon as the parade marched down Blountville’s main street. Shatz sat on the Ruritan float with a sign attached to the side that read: “Ed Shatz, 90-year-old World War II veteran, Omaha Beach, Battle of the Bulge.”

For Shatz, the Fourth of July is more than a celebration of American independence, it’s a celebration of his citizenry, which he said is a product of his father’s service in World War I.

In 1917, Shatz’s father, a recent immigrant from Russia, joined the American Expeditionary Forces and served in France where he was wounded when gassed. When his father returned, he was given American citizenship – something for which his father was forever grateful.

“I am an American,” Shatz said. “To me, the Fourth of July means when my father came back they made him an American citizen and the proudest days of his life were when he wore the uniform.”

Shatz was a student at Boston University in 1941 when his fraternity held a meeting on Dec. 7, the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. That afternoon all 64 members of the group stood and vowed to enlist.
“I have not heard from any of them since 1942,” he said.

Shatz spent three years in active duty before returning to the United States and raising two daughters with his beloved wife Beatrice, or Bea, who died when she was 54.

Since moving in with his daughter after a medical scare last year, Shatz has spent much of his time writing his own memoir which he shared with the Bristol Herald Courier on Friday.

He said he is most grateful for his family and the “24-hour love and affection” he receives from them. But he’s also eternally grateful for the country that welcomed and fostered his family through the decades and the long, happy life he has lived here.

“God has given me the opportunity to remain on earth. I think about that all the time. He’s given me a wonderful life,” he said. “ ... I feel wonderful.”

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