A former educator and football coach, Franklin native Jimmy Gentry has spent years recounting his experience as a foot soldier in the Allied Troops. While a hero to many, Jimmy simply describes himself as “a product of the Great Depression and WWII.” No one can describe an event like a person who has lived it, and Jimmy has lived through many. One memory that Jimmy can never forget is his participation in the liberation of the German concentration camp, Dachau, where some 40,000 estimated German enemies were executed in every way imaginable. Of the 30,000 Dachau survivors that were liberated, some 10,000 were sick with malnutrition, exhaustion, typhus and exposure. Just before the prison was liberated, executions averaged 200 prisoners per day. Thousands more perished in the coming days because a German Commandant ordered that “no prisoner should fall into enemy hands alive.” Jimmy was there before the now famous Dachau trials, before the gates were opened, and before the cleanup. He remembers vividly the sights and smells that accompanied pain and suffering as far as the eyes could see. A prisoner that Jimmy met at the inner fence in Dachau sought him out and called upon him to speak out, to tell his story so the world would never forget. For 40 years, Jimmy tried desperately to bury those horrifying memories but eventually authored a book entitled, ‘An American Life,’ sharing his story hundreds of times to appreciative audiences everywhere. While his story is for everyone, his focus is on young people, fearing that as time passes, the Holocaust will be forgotten by our youth. Jimmy believes that “those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” While the war was a horrendous experience that changed every life it touched, Jimmy’s sense of goodness never wavered. To this day, Jimmy is the epitome of optimism. Always smiling, always ready to give. Always an inspiration. Even though Jimmy is now in his 93rd year, he has graciously offered the Dickson community a chance to hear his story. He will be at the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum August 23rd. Meet and greet will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by a presentation from Mr. Gentry at 6:00 p.m. Admission is $10 but is free to students and includes the Museum’s traveling exhibit, “Beyond Rosie: Women in World War II.”
Thursday Aug 23, 2018
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM CDT
Thursday, August 23, 2018 5:30 pm - Meet & Greet with Jimmy Gentry 6:00 pm - Presentation begins
100 Frank Clement Pl, Dickson, TN 37055
Admission is $10.00. Students are free.
Museum office: (615) 446-0500
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