On June 3rd, the Board of Directors renamed the Merchant Marine exhibit to the Harold E. Wellington Merchant Marine of World War II Memorial Gallery in honor of long-time museum volunteer Harold Wellington.

In the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, Wellington “Crossed the Bar” in December of 2024.  Before Wellington passed away, he accomplished one more milestone in a life filled with service to his country and his fellow veterans. Wellington became a centenarian on September 29th, 2024.

Left, Harold Wellington celebrated his 100th birthday in his room at a long-term care facility in September of ’24.  Right, Wellington celebrated his 99th birthday with family and friends in a local restaurant. 

During 100 years of living, Harold Wellington received the Congressional Gold Medal from the United States Congress, served in three different branches of the military during two major wars, and survived a near-fatal car crash in front of thousands of spectators during a stock car race. Wellington lived every day of his remarkable life to the fullest.

Wellington Campioned for the Cause of the VHMC

Over the past eight years, Wellington’s commitment to the success of the ¶¶ÒőLive has not been as well-known as his military service and the accolades he received for volunteering to serve during World War II.  In this article, I want to focus on Wellington’s devotion to telling the story of the Merchant Marines of WWII and his drive to preserve artifacts of the Merchant Services in our museum.

Wellington is showing off his Liberty ship model to John Taylor, owner of a local toy store.

I met Wellington when he was well into his 90s. Wellington attended the ¶¶ÒőLive’s first exhibition display in downtown Brevard, NC. I covered the exhibition as a reporter for WLOS News 13.  Wellington happened to be the first World War II veteran I spoke with during the event.  Even in 2016, World War II veterans were hard to find.  Interviewing this American Hero was a top priority for my story.  

“I feel honored that people remember,” said Wellington during that first interview.  His interview lasted a total of five seconds.  Neither he nor I knew that those five seconds would lead to several more television appearances and a friendship that lasted until this last December. 

Months after the exhibition, Transylvania County offered the Veterans Museum an unused building next to the Historical Courthouse.  Wellington attended the opening ceremonies and quickly became an everyday fixture at the Museum.  

Wellington sits for a conversation with an attendee of the ¶¶ÒőLives first WWII conference. 

The museum volunteers encouraged his presence. Often, visitors would get the extra treat of taking a selfie with a World War II veteran as part of the museum experience.  To boost the museum’s social media reach, I posted pictures of Wellington with visitors.  I often joked with Harold that he was “the coolest artifact the museum had to display.” 

Soon, a new chair arrived in the museum’s reception area.  It is a movie director’s folding chair with “Harold” embroidered across the back.  A fitting addition to the furniture of the museum and a testament to the amount of time Wellington dedicated to the cause.

Wellington became much more than a visitor favorite as the Museum grew.  He advised the Curator at the time that the Museum lacked any mention of a key group of sailors, very important to the war effort in the 1940s.

During WWII, Wellington served as a Merchant Marine on a Liberty Ship in the Battle of the Atlantic.  I wasn’t the only volunteer Wellington educated on the almost forgotten service of the Merchant Marine.  He donated two of his uniforms and tiny black and white square pictures of himself on a Liberty Ship, along with cards of the medals he earned.  We found space for his treasured belongings, and the Museum’s Merchant Marine display came to life. 

The addition of his uniforms to the museum’s WWII exhibit made Wellington happy, but not satisfied.  He began searching the internet for more artifacts.  He used his own money to purchase items like a liberty ship clock, a lifeboat sextant, and a life vest with “U.S Merchant Services” printed across the chest. 

During this trip to the National WWII Museum, Wellington received the Congressional Gold Medal for serving in the Merchant Marines during WWII.

A trip to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans gave Wellington another idea.  I accompanied Wellington on this visit and distinctly remember him saying to me, “Wouldn’t that look good in our museum?”  He lifted his cane and pointed at a very large-scale model of a Liberty ship on display.  I could tell by the look in his eyes that another internet search was in his future. 

Not only did Wellington find a scale model that fit in the museum’s limited space. He also hand-crafted the glass display case that houses the model today.  Determined to make the story of the Merchant Marine more prominent in the museum, Wellington donated the rare artifacts and the ship model with no expectation of repayment.

Wellington recieves the Congressinal Gold Medal from the United States Congress

Wellington’s generosity didn’t stop with the gift of his online acquisitions to the museum. In early 2020, President Donald J. Trump signed the Merchant Mariner Act into law.  As part of the Act, Congress minted a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the Merchant Marines of WWII.  Every living Merchant Marine of WWII received a bronze copy of the gold medal from the government.

Wellington invited me to travel with him to the American Merchant Marine Veterans Association’s national convention, where the association unveiled the design of the medal to members and their families.  In an interview for WLOS TV, I asked Wellington how he felt about receiving such a high honor from Congress. 

“It’s great to be recognized ’cause we’ve been disregarded for so long,” said Wellington.  “Like I say, we were bad-mouthed and called names
draft dodgers and all this other stuff for so many years.  And now, we are finally getting the recognition for who we were and what we did.  We are proud of it, and I think the people should be proud of it.”

Left, Wellington receives a quilt from the “Quilts of Honor” quilters in Hendersonville. Above, Wellington at his home in Brevard.

Wellington’s health prevented him from attending the official Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in Washington, DC, a year later.  He received his bronze medal in the mail.  The next day, Wellington brought the medal to the museum, and we placed it inside the glass case he constructed for the model of his Liberty Ship.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States.  Yet, Wellington immediately shared the prize with the museum he loved.  A selfless act on the scale of his original selfless act when he volunteered to serve America during her time of need eighty years ago.   

Left, Wellington and George Sarros at the National WWII Museum in NOLA.  Above, Wellington dressed out for the 4th of July with friends.

Wellington has now embarked on a new journey. To say goodbye, I will use an old nautical phrase as a blessing for a successful voyage.  I believe I am speaking for everyone at the museum when I wish Harold “fair winds and following seas”. You, Sir, will be sorely missed.

Board Member Kenneth Corn is a regular contributor to the “Living Histories” blog.  Corn has served as the Vice President of the Board of Directors and is one of the founding members of the ¶¶ÒőLive.  Before helping create this non-profit honoring Veterans, Corn worked as a journalist for several television stations in the state of North Carolina and deployed to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne as an embeded journalist in 2003 – 2004.

New Exhibits

On March 1, 2025, the ¶¶ÒőLive (VHMC) will celebrate its 2025 Grand Opening with five engaging experiences: a new 3,500-pound artifact, a compelling addition to our most popular exhibit, a renovated and enhanced library, an engrossing conversation with a WWII Navy hero, and a “meet the author” book-signing event.

“Its history started at the Charleston Naval Base when these submarines were being decommissioned. The anchor was taken off the sub and eventually mounted as a display. When the naval base closed, the artifact was transferred to Patriots Point until it was moved to Brevard.”

Six Triple Eight Joins our Jeep Display

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed the “Six Triple Eight,” was an all-Black battalion of the US Women’s Army Corps (WAC) that managed postal services.

The 6888th had 855 women and was led by Major Charity Adams. It was the only all-Black WAC unit sent overseas during World War II. The group motto was “No mail, low morale.”

Now a member of the Six Triple Eight, carrying her mail bag, joins the museum’s Willys Jeep exhibit — an APO (Army Post Office) “somewhere in Europe.” The female mannequin’s uniform, mailbag, and all letters seen in the post office mail slots are authentic WWII artifacts.

French citizens and members of the 6888 sorting mail. Photo from the US Army National Museum

Thanks to a grant from the and a bequest from a generous benefactor, is proud to offer the public a greatly enhanced miliary history library with volumes carefully selected and organized by our museum’s professional librarian, Kathie Doole.

We anticipate further expansion in 2025 with the addition of a special section for young people, with a goal to enhance the educational success and advancement of students.

Our new library offers a curated selection of volumes about Americans in conflict from WWI through the Global War on Terror. Its space features enhanced shelving and cabinetry, computers, and video equipment.

Veterans’ stories come alive as visitors watch interviews of local heroes on a large screen. Finally, the space offers a table, chairs, and a computer for research or just quiet reading time.

Pictured above, left to right: author John Luzena, Breedlove family members Susan Breedlove and Chris Whitmire, and publisher Janis Allen.

Three Special Guests “Dropped In” to Ed Cottrell’s Commemoration

While D-Day was yet a moonlit night, the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions delivered some 13,000 paratroopers into battle, the very edge of an Allied wave that would free the French people from years of oppression. Just months later pilot Ed Cottrell would fly the first of his 65 missions from the newly liberated Cambrai airfield north of Paris.

So through what magic tear in the fabric of time did three paratroopers slip from so long ago to appear at this summer’s ceremony marking Ed’s heroism in the epic liberation of Europe? That would be the magic of the All Airborne Battalion, a non-profit and all volunteer organization determined to “live the legacy”, most notably by portraying the experiences of U.S. paratroopers in WWII, performing commemorative, static line airborne operations and jumps. Members join in memorial services, sometimes involving surviving WWII veterans, provide group tours of battlefields and military museums, participate in educational outreach and commemorative events, and provide support to veterans and first-responders. Many members are veterans and have previous jump experience, but neither is necessary to participate. For more information see

As a bookend to the 65 combat missions he flew in WWII, Ed has made five trips to Normandy in recent years to participate in commemorative events. This is where the connection that brought our surprise visitors to Brevard was formed. While visiting the ¶¶ÒőLive, Sean Lockhead, All Airborne Battalion Board Member and Director of Veteran Affairs, shared two remarkable stories of commemorative jumps from this summer’s 80th anniversary D-Day remembrances.

The Bravery of a Normandy Village

The little-known tale of Graignes, a small village 17 miles south of Utah Beach, is often referred to as The Secret Massacre or the Story of the Lost Paratroopers. The unit was the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 82nd Airborne Division. At 2 AM on D-Day their 12 planes ran into heavy flak while approaching the French coast and veered off course, leaving the troopers with no option but to jump into a dark and unknown territory. In fact, many landed in marshes along with their equipment near the farming community of Graignes. Their intended landing zone was fully 18 miles northwest, enshrining this mis-drop as D-Day’s worst.

Though deep behind enemy lines, the good news was that no German units had discovered them and exploited their chaos after the calamitous drop. Commanded by Major Charles D. Johnston, the unit would dig in and defend the area, blocking any German advance toward the Allied beachhead. The villagers of Graignes woke up to find wet and bewildered American troops in their fields and streets. The mayor called a town meeting. Despite the certain risk of German reprisal if caught helping the Allies, the citizens of Graignes voted unanimously to do so. Food was a pressing need, so the townsfolk organized a massive cooking operation to provide two meals a day. Supplies such as mortars and machine guns had landed in the marshes, so the men, women, and even children of the town used their boats and wagons to collect and bring everything to the town Perimeter.

It took two days for all the troopers of the 507th to find their way out of marshes and fields and assemble 182-strong in Graignes. They had an additional two days to dig in and refine their defenses. On the fifth day they skirmished with and repelled a reconnaissance unit from a large, armored division. Villagers were sent away. The following day the 507th held the town against heavy artillery and a force of 2,000. By evening with ammunition in short supply and defenses tattered, the 507th retreated, divided into pairs trying to find their way across the countryside to Allied lines.

The story of Graignes is little known and that may be because its denouement is heartbreaking, even bitter. The unit’s surgeon, two medics and 14 wounded remained behind and surrendered to the Germans. They were promptly marched off and either bayoneted and tossed in the marsh or forced to dig their own graves and then shot in the head. Both clerics from the church were shot, two elderly residents were shot in their beds, and 44 townspeople were accused of collaboration and executed. The town was set afire. Of two hundred buildings only two remained unscathed by artillery or the blaze.

Zee Fan Little & Sean Lockhead tour museum galleries with museum Board member Phil Davis

Ed Cottrell with Sean Lockhead, a friend from recent Normandy commemorations

After the ceremonies at the church, people gathered in the town square to socialize and enjoy wine and beer and lighten the mood. As the evening progressed, the town held a dinner and dance for the residents and special visitors. As the beer flowed, the somber mood of the earlier remembrances dissipated to be replaced with festivity and dancing, turning the last of the day’s events into a celebration of life.

 A Second Legion of Honor Inductee

Young Marthe Rigault was 12 years old living at her family’s farm just outside of Graignes, when, awakened by the turmoil of D-Day, the family found lost and soaking wet paratroopers knocking at their door. In the ensuing days the family – including young Marthe – went into the marshes using their boats and wagons to recover munitions, weapons, parachutes, and supplies. Later when the Americans were forced to retreat, the Rigaults managed to hide 21 men until it was safe for their escape.

Marthe is now 92 and still lives near Graignes, where she participates in D-Day remembrances and has been befriended by many veterans returning to recall their WWII experiences. This includes members of the All Air Battalion who enjoyed breakfast with Marthe the day following their jump.

On July 3, 2024, Marthe Rigault was inducted into the French Legion of Honor for her bravery in assisting the Lost Paratroopers of the 507th even though still a child at the time. Just six days later, Ed Cottrell received the same honor for his part in the same battle to liberate Europe. All Air Battalion just happened to make it their business to stand up and reach out to both honorees, making clear the thread that binds these acts of bravery together.

The Band of Brothers

Band of Brothers is a 10-part HBO mini-series premiered in 2001, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, which meticulously tells the tale of “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division during WWII. The young actors prepared and bonded together by attending a 10-day boot camp – but they never actually jumped out of a plane or parachuted to the ground. They also met and learned from surviving veterans of the unit whose war experiences they were portraying. The effect for the actors was profound, and over the ensuing years many cast members regularly attended events in Normandy commemorating D-Day.

During recent years an idea developed during these gatherings: what if the now-aging cast trains and executes an actual jump into Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. One of the cast, Alex Sabga-Brady, would spearhead the effort to make the adventure into a documentary film and use it to raise money supporting veterans’ charities. Among the friends the cast members made during their visits to Normandy, several were busy forming the All Air Battalion, which became part of the project to have Band of Brothers cast members perform an actual “Easy” company commemorative jump.

 The Jump: Currahee to Normandy

Band of Brothers was filmed in Europe and the actors’ “boot camp” was in Europe. But the real-life “Easy” company trained at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, located near the base of Currahee Mountain. The camp was closed shortly after the war but is now preserved as an historical site with some original and refurbished buildings. Running the Mountain was an everyday part of the paratroopers training, with the regular chant: “3 Miles up, 3 Miles down”. For their second “basic training” the reunited Band of Brothers would tread closer to history by training at Camp Toccoa and running up and down Currahee.

The All Air Battalion made this possible by operating the camp and providing basic training including practice jumps from the Tunison Foundation’s “Placid Lassie”, a vintage WWII Douglas C-47 Skytrain, a true D-Day and WWII veteran herself, not a replica. The actors stayed and trained at the original Camp Toccoa barracks in March 2024, including a charity run up Mt. Currahee, meeting currently serving troops, veterans, and families of the original members of “Easy” Company.

With training under their belt, the experience culminated in two airborne operations, jumping into France’s Cotentin peninsula on June 3rd and June 8th. Along the way there were constant interactions with veterans and the public plus attendance at various ceremonies. The culmination was a huge gathering at St.-Mere-Eglise, (the first French town to be liberated by U.S. Paratroopers) where members of the cast performed a rock concert for a crowd of more than 10,000 people.

Ed Cottrell and his daughter Sue Nation (seated) with members of the All Airborne Battalion

The documentary, “Currahee to Normandy,” will be a testament to the deep connection between the people of Normandy, veterans, and the actors who continue to keep these heroes’ legacies alive. To learn more, visit 

.

Top Photo: All Airborne Battalion members Sean Lockhead, Zee Fan Little and Russ Battiato during their visit to Brevard to honor LTC Ed Cottrell

Waiting for Bullets

This painting, titled “Waiting for the Bullets”, was commissioned by and painted by Spanish artist Gareth Hector.

Silent-auction

A signed print of this painting (31″ x 19″), donated by will be silent-auctioned on April 13. The opening bid is $150. Col. Cottrell will inscribe the print to the winner of the auction. 

December 17, 1944, over the Ardennes: Lt. Ed Cottrell is in a situation he never dreamed possible. He and his group were bombing German armor when they were jumped by twenty Me-109s. Cottrell’s engine took hits. Oil sprayed. Eight cylinders were gone, but the motor kept running. He was limping home when two Me-109s caught up to him. “I was waiting for the bullets to come,” he said.

How he survived

On April 13th, Lt. Col. Ed Cottrell, USAF (Ret.) will tell that story, and how he survived, plus the story of his 2023 meeting with German Me 109 pilot Karl-Heinz Bosse (shown below), who fought in that same air battle on December 17, 1944.

Every Year on March 1 is designated Joe Cooper Day in Brevard

Make-A-Wish

In early 2023, Joe Cooper was given a “make-a-wish” opportunity by the NC State Veterans Home in Black Mountain where he resides. One of his wishes: visit the ¶¶ÒőLive in Brevard.

Last March 1, Brevard’s Mayor Copelof welcomed Cooper with a public ceremony and read a proclamation declaring the date Joe Cooper Day. Cooper was then 100 years old (photo at right).

This year, at age 101, Cooper celebrated the 2nd annual Joe Cooper Day by visiting the museum on its March 1 opening of the 2024 season. He greeted visitors and showed them the 1945 pictures of a Japanese “Betty” kamikaze plane he and his shipmates shot down in the Pacific, and the photograph of his ship, the , as it burned after a kamikaze crashed into it on January 5, 1945.

The USS Ommaney Bay, burned as the surviving members of its crew watched from the USS Minneapolis after they were rescued.

Joe Cooper being interviewed by NHk Japan Broadcasting.

5 hours in shark-infested waters

Cooper survived 5 hours in shark-infested waters. After WWII ended, he enlisted in the Army and served on recon patrols in the Korean War.

We look forward to celebrating many more Joe Cooper Days with Joe!

James Milton Fletcher, WWII Veteran

Joining Up at Age 17

“I took my oath at Fort McPherson, Georgia on June 6, 1944—D-Day—five days after I graduated from high school. My mother and dad had to consent because I was only 17. I reported to the University of Alabama for engineering school, then we were sent to Auburn’s Alabama Polytechnic Institute.

Training for Combat in Europe

“The Battle of the Bulge happened around Thanksgiving in Belgium. The Army decided they needed infantry soldiers more than they needed engineers. So at the end of the quarter, we were called to active duty—basic training at Fort Robinson, Arkansas. Then to Fort Meade, Mayland as replacements in the Battle of the Bulge.
“But by the time I finished, that situation had changed. They sent us to Oregon, then to Hawaii for 10 days of jungle training. We joined a convoy because the Japanese submarine fleet was still very active all the way from Hawaii to Okinawa. Then in the Marshall Islands we practiced landing craft—climbing down the side of the ship with all our equipment and beach landings on Eniwetok Atoll. Then to the Caroline Islands right on the equator to practice more in tropical conditions.”

The Battle of Okinawa

“We were ordered to Okinawa. The Battle of Okinawa started on Easter Sunday (April 1), 1945. They fought viciously there for two months. The politicians declared the island secure, but they were still fighting when I got there in June. When I joined my Infantry outfit, Charlie Company, 184th Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, they had 110% casualty. I asked, ‘How did you manage 110% casualties?’ The answer was, ‘The replacements get shot pretty fast.’ The life expectancy, I heard, was 90 minutes when we got there.

“The tallest building I saw in Okinawa was about three feet tall except for one church steeple in Naha (Okinawa’s capital). They had just bombed that island to death. It was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of American warfare.

“Three Marine divisions were on the north end of the island. Four Army divisions were on the south end. We thought we were going to leave Okinawa to invade Japan on Labor Day, but they were planning it for October 1. On August 6, we heard on the radio that they had dropped this unusual bomb on Japan, and they were pursuing peace. We thought it was just a ruse to get us to walk into one of their surprise attacks. A week later, they dropped the second bomb and then we realized it was for real.”

The Japanese Surrender

“Everybody was frightened because the Japanese had said that every man, woman, and child would die for their Emperor rather than surrender. So it was no easy task to fight the Japanese, and it was much more brutal, I think, than the European campaigns.

“We were very happy at the dropping of the second bomb, and there was so much celebrating, we lost 600 men on the island—killed due to stray munitions. We shot ammunition and dumps and everything else to celebrate—shooting up in the air and blew bombs in caves where the Japanese Army would hide. I never got a scratch—just injured my knee by stepping into a post hole.”

The Largest and Deadliest Amphibious Assault in the Pacific War

According to the National WWII Museum, the official American casualty count between April 1 and June 22 is 12,520 killed out of 49,151 total casualties.
Milt Fletcher: “The fighting continued after the official end of the war. Okinawa is known as the last major campaign of World War II. In my opinion, it was the bloodiest battle in American history.
“August 21 was the happiest day of my life. We had orders to go to Seoul, Korea to receive the Japanese Army surrender for Korea. It was at the same time they surrendered to MacArthur in Tokyo Bay.”

Japanese surrender in Korea (photo U.S. Navy)

“People were stealing provisions that the Japanese Army had there, so we had to guard them. We also guarded an opium factory. We just had to secure the city. The Japanese had been the managers. The Koreans had been almost slaves under the Japanese. We were processing them to go back to Japan. So we Americans became the managers until we could train the Koreans to be managers. I was made Staff Sergeant at age 18 and was discharged from active duty in December 1946, before I turned 20 years old.”

Back Home and Back to School

“I re-started college at Georgia Southwestern and later earned my M.A. at the University of Georgia in entomology and teaching. I became a teaching principal before I was 25 years old.”

Service During the Korean War

“I spent the Korean War running the reception center for draftees in Columbia, ¶¶ÒőLive, making assignments and orders for infantry, quartermaster, communications, medical, etc. We processed the cream of the crop—all the graduates of high schools and colleges between 1944 and 1950. The R.O.T.C. boys were the green lieutenants that were the replacements in Korea, and we lost 54,260 GIs. I was in the Reserves for 12 years. I received the Infantry Rifleman’s badge.”

Career and Family

“I worked in sales and teacher training for Scott Foresman & Company. It was the largest textbook publisher in America—starting with Dick and Jane and going all the way through college. I retired after 30 years. I loved my job.”
“In 1951 I married Libby, a girl I had known since childhood. We have two children, Jim and Betsy. Sadly, Libby passed away in 2020.”

“I love my country.”

“I’m here for my country. I love my country. It’s been good to me, gave me an undergraduate degree, helped me get a graduate degree, helped me buy a home. I have new hearing aids from the VA and I’m a happy person.
“I still have students who, after 80 years, still write to me. And I have salesmen I hired 50 years ago who come to see me and bring me vegetables out of their gardens. I’ve lived in Brevard, N.C. for 10 years. I’m a firm believer in education. I’m taking an art class now and I’ve studied Chaucer, Middle English, and the Great Books. I attend yoga
and always siesta at 2:00 pm. I’ve had a good life, a full life.”

Walk through History With World War II with best-selling authors and actual WWII veterans who were there

The ¶¶ÒőLive is excited to offer the A Walk through HistoryÌę·Ą±č±đČÔłÙ.
Be a part of history as you explore their stories.

Your Invitation to

If you love the stories of history and like to learn about our country’s military history, this is the event for you. Combine your love of learning with one of the “Coolest Towns in America.” Enjoy all Brevard has to offer, from our quaint downtown with great shopping to a vibrant arts and culture scene. Our backyard has 250 majestic waterfalls and 100,000 acres of forest; explore and enjoy.

Great Speakers
You will hear from nationally known and best selling authors of military veterans’ history WWII veterans.

Networking
Meet people who have similar interests and enjoy learning about U.S. military history.

New People
Meet veterans who have lived through the conflicts and will be in attendance to talk about their experiences

Have Fun
Brevard has great restaurants, two musuems, historical walking tours, art galleries, music, shopping, hiking, fishing and so much more.

Read more about this event

Joe Cooper, receives  “Make-a-Wish”

When WWII and Korean War veteran Joe Cooper, age 100, received the “Make-a-Wish” honor at the North Carolina Veterans Home in Black Mountain and asked for his wish, he answered, “A trip back to the Veterans Museum and a ride on a train.”

He’ll get his train ride this fall. His trip to the ¶¶ÒőLive in Brevard will come on this year’s opening day—March 1. At 10:30 AM in the courthouse gazebo, Museum Founder/Curator Emmett Casciato will introduce N.C. Veterans Home Administrator Kylie Conkin, Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof, and Transylvania County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jason Chappell, who will speak to honor Cooper’s service to our country. Transylvania County Honor Guard Chaplain Craig Adams will offer the benediction.

Cooper will talk about WWII and Korean War 

Immediately after the gazebo ceremony (until 12:00 AM), Cooper will be available inside the museum to talk with visitors, tell his stories from WWII and the Korean War, and sign free copies of his complete story for visitors. Other local Korean War veterans will join him to sign the book which honors them, The Forgotten War Remembered and several WWII veterans will also be present to sign their books “We Shall Come Home Victorious.” (Books are $20, proceeds go to the museum.)

The USS Ommaney Bay blows up after being attacked by a kamikaze. Photo courtesy Joe Cooper.

Japanese Betty on fire. Photo courtesy Joe Cooper.

Back in Brevard again after the war, Cooper worked as a mechanic at Olin Corporation (later Ecusta Paper Corporation) and worked there until his retirement.

In case of inclement weather, the 10:30 ceremony will be held in the upstairs meeting room of the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce at 175 East Main Street. Signs will be posted at the museum’s front and back entrances if the ceremony is moved. Please arrive early if the weather is iffy, to allow yourself time to get over to the Chamber of Commerce.

The public is invited to celebrate the service of Joe Cooper and admission is free.