“People are not born heroes or villains; they’re created by the people and circumstances around them.”
This saying rings especially true for Lt. Jack Bushyhead, a Delaware County Native American WWII soldier who may—or may not—have been directly responsible for the deaths of nearly 350 surrendered German soldiers and officials during the Dachau concentration camp liberation reprisals on April 29, 1945.
Born on August 18, 1919, in Jay, Oklahoma, Jack Bushyhead's early life is largely undocumented. However, literary accounts of the fateful day in 1945 paint a complex picture of his actions. Bushyhead, described as "a full-blooded Cherokee Indian whose ancestors had been murdered on 'The Trail of Tears'," was reportedly motivated in part by a kinship with the Jewish people he helped to liberate.
Lt. Bushyhead was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian who served as the Executive Officer of Company "I" in the 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army during World War II.
He played a significant role in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945. After the liberation, Bushyhead, along with Lt. Walsh, organized the segregation of prisoners of war (POWs) into those who were members of the Wehrmacht and those who were in the SS.
The SS members were marched into a separate enclosure and executed by members of Company "I" with machine guns. By the end of the day, reportedly 346 German POWs had been executed.
The Dachau liberation reprisals were a series of incidents where German prisoners of war were killed by American soldiers and concentration camp internees on the day of the camp's liberation.
In the days leading up to the liberation, SS guards forced 7,000 inmates on a death march, resulting in numerous deaths from exposure and shootings.
When Allied soldiers finally liberated Dachau, they were met with scenes of unspeakable horror and resistance from some German guards who initially fired on them and refused to surrender. This triggered a deadly retaliation, with over 500 Germans, including camp guards, soldiers, SS officers, and even medical personnel, killed in the ensuing chaos.
Lt. Jack Bushyhead was in charge of the "second machine" unit involved in the killings. The number of prisoners who died under the fire of his machine gun ranges from 346 to 348, depending on the account.
There are claims that Bushyhead was directly responsible for pulling the trigger in all those deaths. The incident was initially classified as a secret, and it wasn't until 1991 that the full details were made public.
During a military tribunal, Bushyhead did not deny his involvement. He stated: "I participated with Lt. Walsh in this handling of the men and during the course of the shooting and personally fired his weapon at these prisoners."
The liberated Jewish prisoners hailed him as a hero, finding immense satisfaction in seeing their tormentors fall. Conversely, some in the military viewed him as a villain unworthy of the uniform.
General George Patton, recently named Supreme Commander, dismissed all charges against the soldiers involved.
Col. Charles L. Decker, acting deputy judge advocate, concluded in late 1945 that, despite probable violations of international law, the task of fixing individual responsibility was both difficult and unjust given the circumstances.
After the war, Bushyhead was honorably discharged from the Army. He married Freda M. Payton on April 4, 1952, in Bentonville. They lived in Wichita, where he worked in an aircraft factory, before moving to Grove in 1961.
Bushyhead became a Cherokee community representative for the Grove area and was a member of Delaware Baptist Church near Grove. When he passed away on Christmas Day, 1977, he was survived by his wife, five daughters, and three sons.
Bushyhead's legacy remains controversial, with perspectives on his actions during the war varying widely. His character was even featured in the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film "Inglourious Basterds."
He is buried in Duffield Memorial Cemetery in Jay, Oklahoma.
