Notwithstanding his at times heroic, and other times gruesome military combat experiences, which in typical self-effacing style Flanagan seldom if ever discusses, his true love is music. He recalls his early years beginning at age 3 singing lead in a quartet with three older sisters at church functions, political and social gatherings and with Chicago area radio stations.
Eventually, Flanagan and his three sisters performed professionally on nationwide radio broadcasts with such luminaries as Gene Autrey and George Goebel. When Goebel’s voice changed, Flanagan briefly took his place. Then Flanagan’s voice changed also and with it his musical life shifted to performing with the flute and piano.
Immediately after the war he performed in the U.S. Army’s symphony orchestra, traveling throughout Europe entertaining the troops. Flanagan continues to enjoy playing piano today. He views his mother, Clara Flanagan, who introduced him to the world of music, as the most influential person in his life.
Soon after attending the first year of college, Flanagan was drafted into the U.S. Army, and assigned as an artilleryman. His father, a former infantry veteran, died of cancer shortly after he completed basic training and was sent into combat in Europe. His father’s influence on him was considerable and he still recalls his close relationship with him emotionally.
As an expert marksman and gunner Flanagan was assigned to the U.S. Army’s 71st Infantry Division, 5th Infantry combat team, as a fire control sergeant. Translation: he served as a forward observer with responsibility to direct artillery strikes on enemy positions. It also meant that the enemy was constantly looking for him and his team of observers as a high priority target. Their objective was to prevent his calling in deadly strikes on their men by killing him and his team of forward observers.
People who have known Flanagan for many years in the community are surprised by his background in Army combat during WW II. Marianne Gardner, Fairfax county planner said, "I have known Earl for 20 years and he never once mentioned his WW II combat experience."
However, I do recall one particularly tough battle that was to say the least, unbelievably full of stress. I was responsible for calling in artillery strikes against a large contingent of Germans trapped on the Rhine river who refused to surrender. I can recall there were about 16,000 enemy soldiers. Their situation was desperate but they refused to surrender. It was a fierce battle. I had to find a way to a high position to observe the enemy and call in artillery strikes using 12 different artillery Howitzer guns. The Germans were shooting at my position trying to kill me; at the same time I had to orchestrate the fire of the different artillery guns. Our problem was there were more sites under heavy attack than we had guns to protect our infantrymen. The intensity of pressure on me was extreme not for the fact I was in danger but because if I was inaccurate or not timely in calling in artillery strikes it would cost the lives of our men who were in imminent danger. I remember the battle as if it was yesterday.
Even today when I attend our annual 71st infantry division reunions fellow soldiers will come up to me and thank me for my efforts in protecting them and saving their lives. I am grateful for their sentiments, but really, it was all a part of my job. Like a quarterback on a football team who gets a lot of credit for delivering the ball to a person who may score a touchdown; however, the line has to block, the runner and receivers have to do their jobs, or there is no score. It was the same in combat; everyone has to do their job. Precision artillery or airplane fire saved lives. But it was an entire team that got the job done. I will never ever forget the tremendous effort my fellow infantrymen made to survive and live to fight another day. The real heroes are those who made the ultimate sacrifice, with their lives.
The second terrible recollection is near the end of the war. I visited the death camp, Gunzkirchen. This satellite camp was part of several satellite death camps linked to the Matthausen concentration camp. The Nazi technique was to work Jews at hard labor until they were so tired and sick that they were no longer useful. Some were then gassed and cremated there. Others were marched to the satellite death camps with the intention that many would die before they reached the death camp. Those who survived were starved to death. When we arrived at Matthausen bodies were stacked up outside the walls six feet high to be cremated. Those alive inside the gates were on the verge of death due to starvation and disease. If we had arrived a few hours earlier we might have saved more people. As it was we were able to save many of those still alive.
One of those we saved at the satellite camp, Gunzkirchen, and who I have grown to know over the years, lives right here in Arlington: Lewis Kest. He is a successful Certified Public Accountant (CPA), who even today at the age of 89 works as a business accountant. He, along with a dwindling number of other death camp survivors annually attend our infantry division reunions, including those we have held in past years in Europe at the site of the former death camp. Lewis and the others who can make it come to thank us for liberating them and saving their lives. It is estimated that approximately 119,000 Jews were killed at the Matthausen regional Death Camp. We liberated 16,000, including Lewis Kest.
The second thought is that as we remember and thank all veterans on this special day never to forget that our freedom has been earned by the blood of unselfish men and women who fought in our behalf.
And thirdly, a point of personal pride is I was honored to play a small role in preserving and protecting our freedoms during the second world war. However, for my military service, and the service of all others past and future to not be in vain, then we should never forget that there will always be those who aspire to take our liberty from us. The atrocities perpetrated on the Jews by the Nazis is something I will never forget. Nor should the youth of today and future generations. I would like to close our interview with the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson who, brilliantly, understood so well the world we live in even today and represents what I believe is so important as we commemorate and thank our veterans. He said, "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against any form of tyranny over the mind of men."
