JUNE 5, 2008

By Casey McNerthney
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter

High gas prices seem to be shortening travel plans.

“People still want to take vacations,” AAA Washington spokeswoman Janet Ray said last week. “But they want to stay closer to home.”

However, for people around Seattle -- a city with many rich but forgotten or dimly remembered stories -- there’s plenty to do and learn about.

Seattle author Jack Hamann said people are always amazed to learn that the largest and longest Army court-martial of World War II stemmed from a lynching on an Army base that’s now part of Discovery Park.

Discovery Park

The history lesson -- Before Discovery Park was dedicated in 1973, the area was part of the Army’s Fort Lawton, which opened in 1900. More than 20,000 troops were stationed there during World War II -- when it also housed Italian and German prisoners of war -- and more than 1 million total troops passed through the fort.

On the morning of Aug. 15, 1944, Italian POW Guglielmo Olivotto was found dead, hanging by a cable noose. The Army charged 43 black soldiers with rioting, including three who were charged with the murder. That led to the largest and longest Army court-martial of World War II. The case was prosecuted by Leon Jaworski, who later became a special prosecutor in the Watergate scandal.

The court convicted 28 of the soldiers, including two for manslaughter.

A 2005 book by journalist Jack Hamann, “On American Soil: How Justice Became a Casualty of World War II” (Algonquin, 368 pages, $24.95), revealed the soldiers did not commit the murder. Last October, their convictions were overturned and the soldiers were granted honorable discharges. A defense authorization bill passed in late May allocated back pay with interest for the previously convicted soldiers, and that bill was expected to go before President Bush this week.

Why you should visit -- The site where the Italian POW barracks stood is still there, as is Olivotto’s grave. Hamann said only two of the 28 convicted solders -- Samuel Snow and Roy Montgomery -- are still alive and they plan to be here July 24 to 27, when public tributes and events are scheduled for the veterans and their families.

The planned ceremonies include the first known Catholic Mass in honor of Olivotto. A community picnic and memorial tribute is scheduled for July 26 at Discovery Park. Hamann said the city’s Parks and Recreation Department also has committed to installing signs to mark historical sites around the park.

And there are plenty of other reasons to spend a day at Discovery Park. The city’s largest park, it has more than 11 miles of trails, plus picnic tables and tennis courts. It is home to more than 270 bird species, according to Parks and Recreation.

If you go -- Hamann’s Web site has a map showing locations of the 1944 events and details about the summer public tribute: www.jackhamann.com/tribute_planning.html. The city’s Web site has detailed information about the park, which is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily: seattle.gov/Parks/Environ ment/discovparkindex.htm

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P-I reporter Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com.