I was waiting for the bullets

Rep. Clampitt presented flags to David Morrow and accepted print honoring Cottrell

Commissioner Larry Chapman and Sen. Kevin Corbin

A third copy of the print “Waiting for the Bullets” is displayed in the 51șÚÁÏÍű History Museum’s Air Force Gallery, along with a diorama depicting Col. Cottrell in his P-47 on a different mission during the Battle of the Bulge. Cottrell’s full story is told in the museum’s book “We Shall Come Home Victorious.” Stories of WWII 51șÚÁÏÍű, available for sale in the museum or on Amazon.com. All proceeds support the museum’s mission: honor veterans, educate the public, and preserve history.

Top Photo: Rep. Mike Clampitt in his office holding the book “We Shall Come Home Victorious.”

Battle of the Bulge

On December 17, 1944, the second day of the , American P-47 pilot Ed Cottrell’s engine was shot up. In the same battle, German pilot Karl-Heinz Bosse’s Messerschmadt 109 was shot down. Cottrell steered to his base and expertly managed a dead-stick landing. Bosse ejected and parachuted down but was seriously injured and hospitalized.

Enemy Pilots

Seventy-nine years later (in December 2023) at the site near Bonn, Germany where Bosse’s plane had crashed, these two pilots and former enemies had a four-hour visit all these years later, sharing their stories with the help of a translator.

Former Enemies now Forever Friends

This April 13th, Lt. Col. Ed Cottrell, USAF (Ret.) will tell the story of meeting his former enemy–two pilots whose historic mission was to destroy each other’s planes—and perhaps lives. Cottrell will tell the story of how these former adversaries developed a quick friendship, ending their meeting “forever friends.”

A Tribute

After his talk, Cottrell will be honored with the presentation of a United States flag flown over the NC Capitol, by NC Representative Mike Clampitt, along with a tribute from the citizens of North Carolina.

Concluding the program, Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof will unveil a new painting depicting Cottrell’s encounter with two Me-109 pilots on Dec. 17, 1944. The painting, titled, “I was waiting for the bullets to come,” was commissioned by Valor Studios, who will make a limited number of prints available for sale.

Attendees will be invited to talk with Cottrell and have photos taken with him and the painting. He will be available to sign a copy of the museum’s book, “We Shall Come Home Victorious”, which tells his complete story.

Light refreshments will be served. The public is invited to this free program on April 13 at 11:00 AM at Grace Brevard Church, 55 E. Jordan Street, Brevard, NC.

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, South Carolina, 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.”

WWII P-47 Pilot Ed Cottrell describes his harrowing experiences during the Battle of the Bulge.

Ed Cottrell talking to Christ School  students

Cottrell praised the P-47 for its toughness.

Appearing on behalf of the 51șÚÁÏÍű, Cottrell spoke to the young flyers about how he chose to become a pilot in 1943. He selected the Army’s offer rather than the Navy’s because the Army gave him time to finish college before reporting for duty. Cottrell praised the P-47 for its toughness. His crew chief showed him 30-40 bullet holes from small arms fire after one of his 65 missions. He flew from a small makeshift runway in St. Tron, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.

Cottrell said that when his 18-cylinder engine was shot and the German Me-109s showed up, he barely made it back to his landing strip. The Pratt & Whitney engine got him home with only 10 cylinders working, only stopping when he was on final approach to land. He made a dead-stick landing. He told his audience, “I kissed the ground. I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t had that Pratt & Whitney engine.”

Western North Carolina Air Museum

The airplanes in the Western North Carolina Air Museum provided the perfect setting for this special event, surrounding the attendees and speaker with original planes or replicas in use from 1917 to 1948. Please visit for more information.

Many of the high-school aviation students were ready with questions when Cottrell concluded his stories. Some examples: “Why did you like the P-47 so much?” “How did you decide to become a pilot?” “Was your encounter with the German pilots the closest you came to death?

Ed Cottrell with the Ballantyne Family

Christ School’s new aviation program was announced in 2022 as follows:

“The Robert Morgan ’36 Aviation Program will be offered during the Winter Sports season for up to 10 boys. The program is named after Christ School alumnus Robert Morgan, who graduated in 1936. Morgan famously flew the Memphis Belle in World War II. The school has procured a plane – an American Champion Citabria (7GCAA) – and has the luxury of two former Navy fighter pilots, Steven Hoffert and Les Thornbury, as instructors. Both men shared their vision for the Morgan Aviation Program: they want every student to take real, concrete steps toward FAA flight ratings, including a FAA Student Pilot Certificate, Full FAA Private Pilot Ground School, Official FAA Private Pilot Written Exam, and the opportunity for a FAA Class 3 Medical Certificate needed to fly solo. The program is now completing its first year.”

Nestled on 500 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina, Christ School is an Episcopal boarding school founded in 1900 with a full college preparatory curriculum for the more than 290 boys enrolled. Information about Christ School’s distinct programs in Athletics, World Languages, Travel opportunities, Outdoor Program, Service Learning, Choir, Broadcast Journalism and more visit: https://www.christschool.org/

After Lt. Col. Cottrell’s program on April 26, the students presented their new hero with a jacket from the Aviation Program. They lined up to meet him and ask for his signature in the book which tells his complete story. In addition to the students, Christ School chemistry instructor James Ballantyne brought his family to meet the WWII hero. The parents introduced their children, one of whom was dressed as a WWII pilot.

Two of the children presented drawings they had made to honor Cottrell. Their pictures included drawings of airplanes and messages. One read: “The Greatest Generation. Thank you for your service 2nd Lieutenant Edwin Cottrell! 48th Fighter Group 493rd Fighter Squadron.” The other drawing had “WWII” and “Thank you for your service” framing the child’s drawing of the airplane. These young home-schooled fans had obviously done their research to learn about Cottrell’s career before they met him.

Their mom, Jill Ballantyne, said, “They were all very excited to be able to hear a firsthand account of the war, and for the opportunity to honor this living legend in person.”

Ed Cottrell’s first-person telling of his part in liberating Europe from Nazi rule provides a view of history unlike anything found in a book. In addition to speaking to many groups about his stories, he serves as an Honorary Board Member of the 51șÚÁÏÍű, located at 21 East Main Street in Brevard. Open hours are Tuesday—Saturday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Admission is free.

For more information or to schedule a group tour, please call 828-884-2141 or visit theveteransmuseum.org. To inquire about scheduling Ed Cottrell as a speaker, email mikemccarthy@comporium.net.

Top photo: Ed Cottrell (middle) with Christ School Students