Sacrifice

Staff Writer

John W. “Lefty” Nobles is described as a good and decent man. However, most of his acquaintances never got to know what Nobles went through while serving in World War II.

His service was recognized recently when he received a medal for his honorable service while a prisoner of war.

Nobles, now deceased, served his country with pride and honor- something he and his family are proud of.

He entered the service in March of 1942, serving in the 26th Infantry 1st Division.

“I told him I would wait for him until he got home,” said his wife, Marjorie. “We were just sweethearts when he left. It was hard to see him go.”

He was 27, she was 21, and they were separated by a war that was rapidly spreading.

Before the war, Nobles was a pitcher in the Georgia-Florida league. That is where he adopted the name “Lefty,” since he was a left handed pitcher.

Marjorie's fears of never seeing her beloved again grew worse when she learned he had been captured by enemy forces.

According to an article from The Thomaston Times in 1945, Nobles was captured on Jan. 28, 1943, in Morocco, by Italian and German forces.

“He was in Munich, then he was taken to the North Sea area,” Marjorie said. “It was Stalag II. They made them work on bombed out buildings.”

For two years, Nobles survived the unthinkable and unimaginable. Never did he go into too much detail with his family about what happened to him.

“He would tell me certain things, but I don't think he could bring himself to truly talk about it,” Marjorie said. “Perhaps he didn't want to burden me with it, or maybe he didn't want to remember it.”

During his time in captivity Nobles's love would hold on to the hope that he would come back.

“I just felt drained when I heard he was captured,” Marjorie said with a frown. “I was working in the mill just trying to keep my mind off what was happening. I can't even remember how many double shifts I worked.”

Quickly moving to a positive memory, she recalled the letters she would send him.

“He loved chewing gum,” she said with a smile. “So I would send him some and under the wrapper I would take a bobby pin and write him notes.”

Nobles told his wife that if it wasn't for the care packages sent by the Red Cross they would have starved to death.

“I remember seeing him when he came home, and he weighed 130 pounds,” she said. “He was six feet tall and one inch and skinny as ever.”

Coming home didn't happen soon enough for Nobles; enduring two years of captivity had to come first.

“He never really said what happened to him,” Marjorie said. “He told me that he would sleep on hay and boards. He couldn't even sleep on a bed when he returned home because of that.

“They had to keep their feet covered all the time. They never removed their shoes. Anything they could use for clothing and warmth, they would.

“He lost all his teeth and his feet were severely frostbitten. When he came home and worked in the mill, he used to double up his socks because his feet hurt so bad.”

Nobles said there was a woman who would sneak them eggs as they returned to camp after working all day.

“Those eggs might have been his saving point,” she said. “He told me a story once about how the eggs broke in one of the boys' shirt.”

The weakened Nobles even managed an escape from his prison.

“He and another boy in prison were walking around and noticed the gates weren't guarded,” Marjorie recalled. “So they just walked out. They got to the Rhine River before being captured again.

“After that German shepherds were brought in, and they had to walk in a circle for a long time. The soldiers whipped them too. But that is all he said about that.”

In June 1945, Marjorie and Nobles' family received word that he was coming home.

“He never talked much about being liberated, but I will always remember that telegram,” she said, smiling more than ever. “I will always remember that day he came home.

“I was about to take a bath and was walking around in my pajamas. I lived next door to his mother, and I heard his sister scream for me to come.

“I rushed outside in my red and black checked pajamas and there he was,” she said her eyes twinkling.

“He looked so different, but he was still the same to me,” she said, looking over at her daughter. “He was such a great man. A very good man.”

Nobles children Norman Nobles and Susan Baughcum remember their father fondly.

“I will always remember my Daddy,” Baughcum said. “I remember how he loved baseball. He was a huge Yankees fan, and my Grandaddy was not.

“They had such a rivalry in the living room,” she said laughing. “It was tense sometimes.

“He was always helping people. I will never forget that. He taught me to help people. I see him in my son and my daughter.”

Baughcum said she will always hold her father in “high regard.”

“I realize the price of our freedom because of him,” she said. “So many people take freedom for granted. I try to instill in my children what he instilled in me.”

When Nobles died in 1985, he donated his corneas to the Georgia Lion's Eye Bank.

“We had a neighbor who was blind, and he said he always wanted to help those who could not see,” Marjorie said. “This was his way of helping.”

“He was always thinking of others,” Baughcum said. “He was the most compassionate man I have ever met.”

Norman said he remembers the fishing trips with his father.

“He would always get an early start,” he joked. “I think that's why he would sometimes catch more than me.

“I miss him though. More than I could say. We wouldn't really talk about what he went through. I am proud of him for what he did. He is a real hero.

“I'm sorry that he never got to see this medal, but it is still good that he has been recognized for his service.”

After he returned home from the war, his life with Marjorie truly began. They were married in August of 1945. Marjorie still lives in their house.

“Oh I miss him,” she said. “I will always miss him. But I treasure the memories I have of him.

“He was a family man. He did all he could for us. How could I ever forget that?”