News

Please check back often for news, happenings and stories about the 51�� History Museums, events, and stories from our Living Histories series

Our Mission

To Honor, Educate and Preserve our History by Remembering and Honoring our 51��.

New Year Brings New Name, Logo and Focus to Military History Museum

Jan 8, 2019 | News

WWII veterans Bill Siniard, USN and Harold Wellington, USCG were recipients of a Quilt of Valor at a recent museum ceremony.

John Barker: Flying F-4 Phantoms Over Hanoi

Jan 3, 2019 | Living Histories

Vietnam 51�� Series John Barker served two tours in Vietnam in 1967 and 1972, flying bombing raids in F-4 Phantoms in the Hanoi area. Below, in his own words, is Barker’s Vietnam story. I received my commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in May 1965. A year...

Wendell “Ray” Alcorn: Seven Years a Prisoner of War

Jan 3, 2019 | Living Histories

Vietnam 51�� Series By Michel Robertson Ray Alcorn grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. He served 30 years in the U.S. Navy including seven years as a prisoner of war. His last assignment before retirement as a Captain was as Dean of Students at the...

James Boatwright: Supporting Fellow Marines on the Ground

Jan 3, 2019 | Living Histories

Vietnam 51�� Series James Boatwright: Supporting Fellow Marines on the Groundby Michel Robertson When asked about his tour in Vietnam, Purvis James Boatwright, Jr. responds with a mixture of enthusiasm and regret. During the war, Boatwright was a Captain in the...

Vietnam: Two Eras, Two Kinds of Warfare

Jan 3, 2019 | Living Histories

Andrew “Gunny” Boyko joined the Marines in 1964 and was sent to Vietnam in August 1965. Reflecting on his time, Boyko notes that it was as if he went to two different wars. When he was in Vietnam from 1965-1966, the enemy was a guerrilla organization that did not...

USMC Tunnel Rat Urges PTSD Victims to Seek Help

Jan 2, 2019 | Living Histories

Vietnam 51�� Series USMC Tunnel Rat Urges PTSD Victims to Seek Help By Michel Robertson USMC Tunnel Rat Urges PTSD Victims to Seek Help Building tunnels and forts with his friends in the swamps near Georgetown, S.C. offered young Earl “Flynn” Trimnal excellent...

Vietnam 51��: Jimmy McKinney Traveled With Big Red I

Dec 9, 2018 | Living Histories

Brevard native Jimmy McKinney was married and working at the Ecusta plant when he received his draft notice in May 1966."There were a lot of us from Transylvania County," McKinney recalled. "It was the biggest draft since the Korean War, taking guys that were married....

Honor Flight Offers Special Homecoming to One of Vietnam War’s First 51��

Oct 22, 2018 | Living Histories

Vietnam Veteran Series by Michel Robertson Article first appeared in The Transylvania Times on October 22, 2018 On October 6, 2018, I accompanied 92 Vietnam veterans to Washington, DC as a guardian on a Blue Ridge Honor Flight. Among the veterans was David Crandal, of...

Ervin Bridges: Walking to War

Jun 18, 2018 | Living Histories

Captain Ervin Bridges spent much of his time in Vietnam struggling through jungles and rice paddies. Bridges remembered lying on the ground during a particularly bloody battle wondering to himself, “What the heck am I doing here? Why did I volunteer?” A native of...