Louie E. Stanley: A tribute to a former WWII prisoner of war

Louie E. Stanley is now with the Lord, but he was my Christian friend and a patient at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center during the 1990s. The license plate on the back of his wheelchair read: Former P.O.W, GA 310. I prepared this sketch in 1997, when he shared his story with me his chaplain, and I now share it with you.

Louie Stanley was a young 19-year-old Army Air Force staff sergeant serving as the “belly gunner” on his B-24 bomber when he and the other crew members were forced to abandon their aircraft over Nazi-occupied Holland on Feb. 26, 1943. Two of their engines were on fire as they flew at an altitude of 28,000 feet with the outside temperature at -60 degrees F. Before exiting the aircraft through the bottom escape hatch, Louie Stanley administers life-saving first aid to the tail gunner. As Louie dropped through the escape hatch, the hatch door badly lacerated his scalp, and his feet became frost-bitten as he parachuted into enemy territory. 

He and the other crew members were picked up by the Dutch underground, but when his rescurers realized the severity of Louie’s medical condition, he was placed in an area to be captured by Nazi forces. Soon he and many others were captured and transported by train to STALAG 17B, a P.O.W. camp near Krems, Austria. For the next 26 months he and about 4,000 other American P.O.W.s, all non-commisioned officers, would live in this camp until they were transferred by forced march in April 1945 to another camp in Braunau, Austria, some 281 miles away. Making this long march on foot, the P.O.W.s spent the nights in open fields regardless of the weather. On May 31, 1945, the American 13th Armored Division liberated all of those American P.O.Ws. Louie Stanley had been imprisoned for 27 months. HIs military decorations included: the Airmen’s Medal, the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart. 

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A U.S. War Department report dated July 15,1944, described STALAG 17B in this manner: “Treatment by guards and administrative personnel is harsh and restriction are oppressive … food is poor quality and quantity … Health situation is bad … Chaplain (Captain) Stephen Kane, Roman Catholic, is the sole chaplain for 4,500 Americans. Kane, hardworking and inspirational, is a pillar of morale … Surface mail to camp averages three months in transit, airmail two months.”

The body of Louie Stanley was laid to rest in the National Historic Cemetery in Andersonville, Ga. He helped to keep America free, and I am a better man for having known him as a Christian friend and brother. In closing this tribute, the veterans at our VA do appreciate visitors. Also, remember them in prayer.

Peace!