Jim Sharp
Full Name: Horace J. "Jim" Sharp
Date of Birth: April 25, 1924
Place of Birth: White City, Kansas
Father and Mother’s Names: Col. H.M. & Inez Sharp
Spouse and Children's Names: Marilyn (Mitchell) Sharp - wife and Janet (daughter), Doug (son) and Brian (son) Sharp.
Date Entered Service: May, 1944
Service Branch: Army
Rank/Specialty: Staff Sergeant
Service ID: 37746442
Division/Company/Unit info: Company B, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.
Riley Connection: Moved to Manhattan after the war to go to K-State. Worked for Farm Bureau in Manhattan until retirement. See bio for more information.
Date of Death (and Age): N/A
Bio: Born in 1924, Private Jim Sharp grew up on a farm near White City, Kansas in Morris County. Despite receiving an agricultural deferment, as two older brothers were already serving in the military, Pvt. Sharp joined the Army in 1944 at nineteen years old with the 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.
After completing combat infantry training at Fort McClellan in Alabama, Pvt. Sharp deployed to France and later fought in the Battle of the Bulge. In the fall of 1945, an international military tribunal of judges from Allied nations tried Nazi officials in Nuremberg, Germany. Then Sgt. Sharp served as Sergeant of the Guard at the Palace of Justice during the trials, providing security in the courtroom and prison cells.
Following his military service, Jim Sharp began college at Kansas State University under the G.I. Bill. He married Marilyn Mitchell Sharp in 1946 and raised three children. Jim retired from Kansas Farm Bureau in 1986 as manager of information systems and worked as an independent business systems consultant for several years.
Jim Sharp wrote two books concerning his experiences during the war including “Diary of a Combat Infantryman” and “Sgt. of the Guard at Nuremberg.” The books recount his time as an infantryman during the Battle of the Bulge and service during the Nuremberg Trials. Jim Sharp remains an active member of the Riley County community as founder the Battle of the Bulge, Kansas Chapter and former Board Member of the Riley County Historical Society.
