News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Medical doctor, WWII Veteran and long-time White County Rotary Club member Charles Mitchell will be laid to rest Friday.
Mitchell served as a military captain in WWII and received a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and 4 Battle Stars for heroism at the the Battle of the Bulge.
Mitchell passed away Tuesday at 101-years-old. Rotary Club Member Donna Fare described Mitchell as one of a kind.
“We hope to celebrate his life for many years to come, because it is people like him that make change in the community and help the community grow in many different directions” Fare said. “He will be missed, but a lot of the things that he participated in like our Garden Club and Rotary Club, we’ll still think about it as Dr. Mitchell.”
Museum Volunteer Wade Fare said Mitchell is credited with slowing the German forces at the Battle of the Bulge.
“He was in the 526 Battalion,” Fare said. “His men that he was in charge of were engineers. They were building roads and destroying bridges. They were trained to use guns, but as far as being a fighting unit, that was just a supplemental thing for them.”
“During the Battle of the Bulge, they got caught in a situation where they had to transition from engineers to fighters,” Fare said. “He did a fantastic job in dividing the platoons and slowing the Germans down during their attack, so the reserve American forces could make a better defense.”
At a local level, Mitchell was a three-time Rotary Club President, was once named Sparta citizen of the year and was a founding donor to the Sparta Recreational Park. On his 100th birthday, the city of Sparta proclaimed October 1st as Charles A. Mitchell Day.
He is also a founding contributor to the Veterans Park of Sparta where he is represented on the Wall of Honor. You can find an exhibit of Mitchell’s military service at the White County Veteran’s Museum.
