The Battle of Athens TN

[Jess Tolbirt]

I hope it doesn't come to this! This is really interesting....save it until you have time to watch it!






Little known American Historical Fact



  I was completely unaware of this event that took place in Athens , TN in 1946. I did not know an armed revolt on American soil by WWII veterans ever took place during our lifetime. A very sobering video to say the least.



Now the second amendment should be a little clearer to everyone.  This movie lasts less than four minutes and is well worth the time.


http://voxvocispublicus.homestead.com/Battle-of-Athens.html





FACTS:

Please do not delete this bit of US History of which many Americans have no knowledge. View it and share it and pray that we will never need such a response to government!

[T-Bird]

We all meet someone early in life that makes a big impression on us So much it will molds us into who we are when we grow older. Bill White was such a person in my young life. He was not mentioned in the video that Jess posted, but played a major part of the Battle of Athens. You can read his story here:
http://web.utk.edu/~csws/interviews/white.pdf

I was in my early teens and a bike rider when I first met Bill White, one of the main GI veterns who started the war of Athens. I used to ride dirt bikes in the Tellico mountains when I was in high school, and would often stop at his little store/tackle shop and spend time with with him listening to his stories of the War, hunting, and growing up in the area back in the 30's. I was not aware of his couragous acts in the war and at home. As I got to my early 20's I would still ride the mountains of Tellico and would stop and stay at his store and stay the night. He had a cabin about 100 yards from the store, and many times I would take supper with him, and then stay in a camper behind his store. This was when I would start hearing stories about Bill from the locals. He was dubbed "The Meanest Man in Tellico" in those days, not only for his war stories but his hunting stories as well.  I can remember him having a big boar hog mounted in his store that he killed with a knife. He was hunting and his dog had the hog cornered, when the hog jumped on top of the dog and was about to kill it, thats when Bill took out his hunting knife and jumped on top of the hog and slit it's throat. Bill said he wasn't crazy for doing that,because that was his prized hunting dog.
I even took my wife to meet him when we were dating and we camped in the mountains for a week and fished and hiked everyday. We would spend a lot of time at Bill's store,I can remember Bill kidding her about being a "city girl " he called her that until one afternoon she came back in the store with a stringer full of brown trout.
Bill got to meet my kids when they were young and would tell them the same stories he would tell me when I wasn't much older than them.  I went to visit him with my sons regularly,  about once a month for many years until his health got bad and he rented the store out to others. He has sinced passed but not forgotten. My wife and sons won't ever forget this colorfull man and  I  will never forget his bravery in the war and during the Battle of Athens, but more than anything I will never forget him for being a "Man".
I just hope I can be half the man Bill White was when they come for our guns!

[T-Bird]

Thanks for posting this Jess. 

[HayHauler]

Cool story Terry.  Thanks. 

Hay
Jimmyt

[HayHauler]

Wow.  Is about all I can come up with. 
Thanks. 

Hay
Jimmyt

[JimmyG]

Thanks Jeff, we need this movie to be shown all over the country.

[Highbinder]

Terry...that was an outstanding story, what a great honor to have known this man the way you did...there was a lot to learn in this story that was between the lines...

[miscott]

Thanks for the vid, Jess. I'm gonna try and find a copy of the whole movie now. Love History as that's where we find Life's most valuable lessons!
I hope, and pray, that it never comes to something like this on a National level. I often wonder just how many of us "common folk" would actually be willing to take the stand for our freedom that far.
When I see the mindset of the what appears to be the majority of the people these days, it can be hard to envision America ever turning off the path we're on.

                                         



T-Bird, thanks for the story, & the link to the PDF! Got it saved, and WILL be reading it!

                         

[Jess Tolbirt]

theres more,,

The video clip is from a fictionalized movie about the 'war' in Tenn.

Here's a more realistic story about the real conflict.

Seems some of the voter intimidation, and rigged elections we have recently echo this old case of crooked politicians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_%281946%29

[Patrick]

I've previously posted that story of Athens Tn. here 3 times over the past several years.

[Sircharles]

That should be mandatory viewing.
I just hope when the time comes it isn't a bunch of old farts like us that know what is up and what is down. I have hope that returning vets from the Iraq and Afghan operations will have the will.
Our founding fathers predicted this sort of thing, and I pray it won't be needed, but I also pray that if it is there will be well armed, just, and honest men around to do what needs doing.

[HayHauler]

Thanks again Terry.  I just finished reading that pdf about Bill White and it was amazing.  Good story about a great man.  Glad you got to know him.

Hay
Jimmyt