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For the average reader, the
Saga of Fort Leavenworth Castle not only tells the story of the
Castle, but also provides an informative history of the development of
Fort Leavenworth -- including the officers and enlisted troops who have seen
duty at the historic fort.
While the more advanced
student of Fort Leavenworth history may find those introductory pages too
much a summary, they will find the history of the Castle --- the United
States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB) --- inside Fort Leavenworth to
be one of the most complete works available on the history of that
institution.
The Castle - the main building
of the USDB - should not be confused with the United States Federal
Penitentiary a few miles west of Fort Leavenworth. The USDB was
inside the Fort and housed inmates from the year 1911 through
2002. This facility served as a prison for members of the armed
services found guilty of crimes while members of the military. As we
learn in the book, it was also home to POWs during World War II --
circumstances that eventually led to the execution of 14 of these
German prisoners.
While the author is not a
professional historian, his work in examining the history of the USDB is
extensive. Far beyond traditional research of what he could find on
paper, the author interviews and tells the stories of prisoners, guards
and the administration. The book provides an extensive interview
with the only female commandant of the Castle prison, Colonel Colleen
McGuire, US Army, who is now a Brigadier General and has served with the
military prison system in Iraq.
Stories and pictures are
abundant. Capital punishment was often carried out at the USDB and
we get a close view of a couple of those prisoners who found that to be
their fate. As important, we get an understanding of what it meant
to be on death row at the Castle and the legacy it left upon that
institution.
The author sees the
Castle as more than a prison.
"It was an
Architectural marvel for two reasons; it was one of the most beautifully
designed buildings of its time and it was built by inmates.
"The Castle was empty in
May 2004, its inmates having been transferred to the new USDB. Looking
up at the building from the street level, it was awesome. It gave the
impression of being a skyscraper, but it was only eight stories high and
as wide as the Pentagon. The building was totally covered in red brick
kilned by inmates. Every twelfth brick was stamped ‘USMP’ for United
States Military Prison, as the USDB was originally called. The facade
around the ground floor was chipped and weather beaten. The foundation
was crumbling and the walls were cracking. Above the facade, red brick
dominated one’s line of vision all the way to the sky and to either
side. Unfortunately the building could not be saved. It should have
stood for 500 years.
"The walled area of the
United States Disciplinary Barracks consisted of approximately twelve
and one-half acres and was joined on the north by a double chain link
fence, which was surrounded by a double chain-link fence. The field was
equipped with lighting for night recreation. Within the walled area
were twenty-eight buildings dating as early as 1840 and as recent as
1986. The majority of the original buildings were constructed during
the period 1863 to 1878.
"The Castle was enclosed
by a stone wall, stones that were quarried by former prison inmates,
with the wall being from sixteen to forty-one feet high depending on the
contour of the land.
"This is the story of
the life of the prison Castle and the people who lived in it, who
managed it and who guarded it. During this writing, this magnificent
structure has been leveled and returned to grass."
Along with facts, dates,
figures and many details of history, the author's simple approach to
telling this story gives the reader a deeper view of the meaning of the
structure and the lives that found themselves forever part of that
institution. Doubtlessly, some soldiers left there a better person,
some worse -- and some died there. It is a story that needed told,
and this author has done a very fine job of telling it.
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Prisoners carved this cross with their fingernails into the holding
cell stone wall while awaiting their hanging.
Additional Information
To learn more about the
Fort Leavenworth Castle and to
order your copy of the book link to
http://fortleavenworthcastle.com
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About The Author
Don Olsen (Oley) is an
Alliance, Nebraska native graduating from Alliance High in 1953. Olsen
spent the last 51 years before retirement as a computer and management
consultant. He is a veteran, having served in the United States Air Force.
Starting in 1954 in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, the writer was on a 3 - man
team to develop a means of transmitting data over telephone lines from
Japan. The team developed and perfected the modulator/demodulator -- still
in extensive use today -- called a MODEM. As a Management Consultant, he
assisted companies in the areas of financial planning, cash management,
asset management and business planning. The writer taught Computer Science
at the University of Nebraska, as well as several business and community
colleges, while obtaining a BS Degree in Accounting and an MBA. The writer
is a native of Nebraska but now lives in Platte City, Missouri. Since
retiring, he spends most of his time writing. He is a widower and has two
grown children and two grandchildren.
Review by WindingRiver.com
Staff
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