Living Histories
To Honor, Educate and Preserve our History by Remembering and Honoring our Veterans.
Farewell to a Hero, Special Forces Green Beret Michael Di Rocco
Michael Di Rocco On July 8 and 9, family, friends, members of the community, and military comrades gathered to pay respects to Michael “Mike” Di Rocco of Brevard, NC. Husband, father, friend, parishioner, Marine, Green Beret, adventurer, restaurateur, and volunteer...
The Last of the Band of Brothers
Bradford C. Freeman of Caledonia, Mississippi, passed away this week.He was the only living member of the"Band of Brothers" 101st Airborne Division, WWII. July 4, 2020: Soon after being honored on a visit to New Orleans' National World War II Museum, Mr. Bradford...
Still Hoping to Save the Kitty Hawk
USS Kitty Hawk Veteran Makes Call to Action! By Kenneth CornFrom the time David Cook turned seven years old until he raised his right hand totake the oath to defend his county, he knew he was destined to join the US Navy. Cook can trace his family’s Navy service back...
Joe Cooper, WWII and Korean War Veteran
Japanese “Betty” on fire. Photo courtesy Joe Cooper.Joe Dayton Cooper U.S. Navy, WWII – PacificDecember 27, 1941—December 28,1945U.S. Army, Berlin Air LiftKorean War, 1948-1953 Brevard resident Joe Cooper served in the U.S. Navy during WWII (Pacific), December 27,...
Joe Cooper survived the burning of WWII’s USS Ommaney Bay and served again in Korea
WWII veterans attend a sneak preview of the WWII Jeep exhibit in the museum on February 28, 2020. From left, L.C. Poor, Joe Cooper, James Brush, George Koch, and Ed Cottrell.In part one, we learned that Cooper and the crew of the USS Ommaney Bay had to abandon ship...
“The Big E” USS Enterprise – MCPO Clyde Jones, USN (Ret.)
USS Enterprise, "The Big E" -- A Recipe for Success It’s been said that an Army marches on its stomach, attesting to the importance of well-provisioned forces in the military. For Clyde Jones, “serving” in the Navy took on new meaning as he directed the preparation of...
Larry McCall Securing the Mekong Delta
From Welcome Home, Brother by Michel Robertson John “Larry” McCall graduated from high school in 1967 and was drafted into the Army in 1968 at age nineteen. He and nine other young men from his North Carolina mountain community reported to Fort Bragg for basic...
WWII Merchant Mariners Get Long-Deserved Recognition As Combat Veterans
WWII Merchant Mariners Get Long-Deserved Recognition As Combat Veterans by Ken CornBrevard resident and World War II veteran Harold Wellington (pictured above) traveled to Baltimore for the 2020/21 American Merchant Marine Veteran Convention and Congressional Gold...
Physical Therapy in a War Zone
Interview with Myrl Jean Hughes By Janis AllenWWII Pacific Theater Myrl Jean Hughes tells her story: “I grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota, 100 miles from the Canadian border. My dad owned a printing business, printing stationery and booklets and other things. I had a...
Korean War Combat Medic
The Thomas Greenway Story By Ken Corn Polk county resident Thomas Greenway stands over his dining room table and spreads out a pile of old black and white photographs he took in Korea seventy years ago.VP Ken Corn talks with Korean War Combat Medic Thomas Greenway at...