Living Histories
To Honor, Educate and Preserve our History by Remembering and Honoring our Veterans.
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...
Continuing to Serve Our Community and Fellow Veterans
The Service of the Transylvania County Honor Guard By Doug PoadLike the Marines, the Transylvania County Honor Guard is “looking for a few good women and men,” but not just former Marines. The Honor Guard welcomes veterans of any branch of our Armed Forces looking for...
Band of Brothers
Private Bradford Freeman of Caledonia, Mississippi and Colonel Ed Shames of Virginia Beach, Virginia are the only two living members of the "Band of Brothers" 101st Airborne Division, WWII.An Interview with Bradford C. Freeman By Janis AllenBrad Freeman was one of...
Honoring Vietnam War Veterans
By Michel RobertsonThe photos in this article are of local Vietnam War veterans, many of whom you may know. See whether you’re able to recognize them! Today, March 29th, is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day of remembrance established by the Vietnam War Veterans...