Nuremberg guard encountered worst WWII war criminals

Sanford resident Hal Siler, 89, was a prison guard at Nuremberg in 1946 and came face to face with some of the worst Nazi war criminals of the era as they stood trial.
Posted 5/25/2016, 10:45:56 PM Updated 9/23/2025, 7:51:19 PM

>>> AHEAD OF MEMORIAL DAY, OUR

TARHEEL TRAVELER HAS BEEN

SPEAKING WITH VETERANS.

>> WE FIND HIM IN LEE COUNTY.

HE HAS THE CHILLING AND AT

TIMES AMUSING STORY OF A MAN

FROM SANFORD WHO HAS

ENCOUNTERED SOME OF THE WORST

WAR CRIMINALS WE'VE EVER KNOWN.

>> Reporter: HAL SILER WAS A

PRISON GUARD AT NUREMBERG.

1946.

>> THE NAZI LEADERS ARE BROUGHT

TO NUREMBERG I DON'T THE WORST

CRIMINALS OF ALL TIME BEING I

GUESS.

>> Reporter: THEN THERE WAS HAL

A YOUNG SARGE THE AND TALENTED

CARTOONIST WHO TODAY CAN STILL

DRAW USING BOTH HANDS AT THE

SAME TIME.

>> THERE IS POPEYE AND HI

DADDY.

>> Reporter: HAL WILL ASK TO

YOU RIGHT YOUR NAME ACROSS HIS

POSTER PAPER AND HE WILL FLIP

THE SHEET AND COPY THE NAME

WRITING IT UPSIDE DOWN AND

BACKWARDS.

THE TWO VERSIONS ARE ALMOST

IDENTICAL.

THAT IS AMAZING.

AND THIS WAS CHILLING.

IN A WAY, IT WAS AN UPSIDE DOWN

WORLD BACK THEN.

>> EXECUTE AT NUREMBURG.

>> THESE WERE HITLER'S MEN,

KILLERS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE.

RUDOLPH HOSS.

>> HE BRAGGED IT ABOUT IT IT

TRIAL THAT HE HAD KILLED MORE

PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER PERSON IN

THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

>> Reporter: HAL SILER SAW MANY

OF THESE MEN BEFORE THEIR

DEATHS.

THE PRISON BARBER DID TOO.

>> THEY CAME IN LAST DITCH

THING, MAKE SURE THEY WERE

SHAVED PROPERLY.

>> SECURITY STIFF PS.

>> BUT THE FACT THAT I SAW T.

>> Reporter: HE SAW RUDOLPH

HESS.

>> A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK HE WAS

CRAZY AND I'M ONE OF THEM.

>> HE SAW VON R.

>>> BBENTROP.

>> JUST BEFORE HE WAS TO BE

HUNG, HE LOOKED OVER AN SAYS

I'LL SEE NEW HEAVEN.

>> Reporter: STRIKER.

>> HE WAS HOLLERING HEIL

HITTER.

GOERING WAS KIND.

SPOKESMAN FOR THE TROOP.

HE COMMIT SUICIDE AND DIED IN

PRISON.

>> Reporter: HAL SILER STILL

HAS HIS PRISON GUARD UNIFORM.

HE IS STILL CAREFUL TO KEEP A

SMOOTH AND STEADY PERSPECTIVE.

>> YOU PRETEND YOU'RE LIKE

DIRECT AGO I CHOIR.

>> Reporter: THE GAME OF LIFE,

FULLS HIVES AN LOWS.

>> JUST HAPPY THAT THE WAR WAS

OVER AND WE WERE GOING ON GET

TO COME HOME.

>> YOU COULD SIT DOWN AND TALK

TO HIM ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES

FOR HOURS.

HAL SILER IS 89 YEARS OLD

LIVING IN SANFORD NOW WHERE HE

RETIRED AS THE HEAD OF THE

© WRAL