Charles Dawes
Charles G. Dawes, 2007
Branch of Service: U.S. Army, Infantry
Highest Rank: Private 1st Class
Military Service: Drafted, March 29, 1944 - November 29, 1945
Listen to the following sections by scrolling forward to the timecode.
0:00 - Drafted from college at Springfield
2:40 - How parents felt about both sons fighting in the war
3:40 - Arrival in France, a replacement, captured by Germans, P.O.W., life in a prison camp, Red Cross parcels, liberated by General Patton
23:10 - Poems he wrote during the war
26:36 - How the war changed him
This story was recorded at an SDPB event in Wagner, SD.
Images Provided by Charles G. Dawes
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/73bad2b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1689x1083+0+0/resize/880x564!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fprod%2Ffiler_public%2Fkusd-bento-live-pbs%2FLearn%2FHomefront%2FArmy%2FCharles%20Dawes%2F8938170cb5_postcard.jpg)
Postcard of buildings that were converted into a German prison camp during WWII. Charles G. Dawes was a prisoner for five months at this German prison camp. Mr. Dawes commented, "I still recognize the buildings in the upper right photo and the lower left photo on this postcard."
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ee63839/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1059x1008+0+0/resize/880x838!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fprod%2Ffiler_public%2Fkusd-bento-live-pbs%2FLearn%2FHomefront%2FArmy%2FCharles%20Dawes%2F557ddad6fa_WAR%20Wagner%20Gen%20Photos%20003.jpg)
POWs Ex-prisoners Unlock Memories (Argus Leader article provided by Dawes)
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/568dec8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2491x3201+0+0/resize/880x1131!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fprod%2Ffiler_public%2Fkusd-bento-live-pbs%2FLearn%2FHomefront%2FArmy%2FCharles%20Dawes%2F59037d844b_flag%20letter.jpg)
It's Just a Piece of Cloth (Poem provided by Charles G. Dawes)
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ecaa0c8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2541x3221+0+0/resize/880x1115!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fprod%2Ffiler_public%2Fkusd-bento-live-pbs%2FLearn%2FHomefront%2FArmy%2FCharles%20Dawes%2F3394686b3f_letter%20001.jpg)
My Days in Munchen Prison Camp (Poem written by Charles G. Dawes)
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