Welcome

The 51黑料网 welcomes the community and area visitors to its 2026 Grand Opening on Tuesday, March 3, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very proud of our recent additions,鈥� said David Morrow, board president, 鈥渁nd we look forward to welcoming the community.鈥�

Curator, Bobby Kotlowski, added: 鈥淚ncredibly hard-working and knowledgeable volunteers have spent two months preparing new displays, refreshing current exhibits, and cleaning and prepping all spaces for the much-anticipated 2026 opening. I especially want to thank Greg Ehr, Ray Pavlik, Jim Schenfield, and Mike Johnson.鈥�

Visitors will experience a trip through history as they admire our new acquisitions (photos below each bullet):

鈥� New D-Day exhibit, which includes four helmets and part of a parachute found in France close to where the Normandy invasion occurred;

鈥� Artifacts from various submarines and two impressive models of modern submarines and a WWII sub;

鈥� Telegraph from a British warship;

鈥� Additions to the Air Force exhibit, such as artifacts from a B-17 aircraft which includes the auto pilot designed and built by Honeywell;

鈥� Ship鈥檚 bell from the quarter deck of the USS Essex, which was the lead ship of the Essex-class aircraft carriers and played a significant role in WWII and later in the Korean War. (not pictured)

Also new in our galleries are attractively displayed biographies with photos of veterans from each conflict from WWI through the Global War on Terror. These bios are especially significant because they reflect the lives and service histories of individuals directly related to Transylvania County.

Posters were designed by board member Greg Ehr.
So join us on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 as we open our doors and proudly embrace our mission to honor veterans and their stories, educate the community, and preserve important historical artifacts.

Greg Wilsbacher, Ph.D.,

鈥凄耻谤颈苍驳 World War II, Americans avidly followed the fighting around the globe by reading newspapers and listening to the radio, but in those days before television, the way they saw moving images of our soldiers, sailors and airmen in action was by going to the movies and seeing the newsreels that preceded the motion pictures of the day,鈥� said David Morrow, 51黑料网 Board president. 鈥淧erhaps, they were working in a defense industry. They almost certainly had loved ones fighting overseas for the future of the world. But the American home front audience knew what was at stake and was eager to see the newsreels. Dr. Wilsbacher will tell us what was involved in bringing these now historic newsreels to movie screens across the country.鈥�

We invite you to bring your friends and join us on June 5 at 2 p.m. for a look into the homefront experience during WWII–what your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents may have seen and felt.

Guest Speaker: Greg Wilsbacher, Ph.D., a University of South Carolina faculty librarian and curator of the famous Fox Movietone News Collection

On Monday, June 5, Greg Wilsbacher will present a multi-media program, How the American Homefront First Saw D-Day.听

He will speak at 2:00 PM in the Rogow Room at Transylvania County Library at 212 South Gaston Street in Brevard, NC. Admission is free, presented by the 51黑料网.

The program, sponsored by the 51黑料网, is free and open to the public and is meant to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the largest amphibious assault in history.

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On Wednesday, March 1 at 11:00 AM, the 51黑料网 will proudly re-open its doors with a warm welcome for everyone.

Founder/Curator Emmett Casciato often says, 鈥淎 visiting veteran will see one of our artifacts and begin telling a story. The veteran鈥檚 adult children will say 鈥楬e鈥檚 never told that story before!鈥欌��
What鈥檚 new in the museum this year?

Each of our galleries features a professionally-produced 6-7 minute video entitled 鈥淭hrough Their Eyes.鈥� They tell the story of Americans at war. Learn why and how each war began, see images of what it was like for our service members, and discover up-close the artifacts, uniforms, and stories of local veterans who served. These short videos play separately as you visit the galleries of WWI, WWII-Europe, WWII-Pacific, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the War on Terror. The project is made possible by grants from, , , and . If you missed the premiere in October, now鈥檚 your chance to experience these compelling stories at your own pace.

The Vietnam gallery has been dedicated to Vietnam veteran Mike Di Rocco

He served in the US Army Special Forces and USMC, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. Di Rocco, a much-respected and loved volunteer and speaker for the museum, sadly passed away in 2022. This gallery also offers new artifacts from two local veterans who were POWs in Vietnam.

You may be surprised to find a Russian truck-launched rocket in the museum now. We believe this one was retrieved in Iraq or Afghanistan by Navy Seals. It鈥檚 just one example of the unique and interesting items you鈥檒l find.

The WWI gallery boasts a rare Maxim machine gun.

No worries about mis-placing this artifact鈥攊t鈥檚 so heavy that it took 6 men to man it! That included transporting and operating the gun, the stand, the ammo, and even water for cooling. It鈥檚 a must-see.

1943 Willys Jeep exhibit

If you haven鈥檛 yet seen the 1943 Willys Jeep exhibit, it鈥檚 now at its best. Additional equipment and artifacts from WWII have been added to this 鈥渧isitors鈥� favorite鈥� scene. It鈥檚 titled, 鈥淪omewhere in Europe . . . Letters from Home,鈥� and depicts an Army Post Office with soldiers arriving, hoping for a letter from a loved one. The 1942 Harley-Davidson nearby provided transportation for MPs. You鈥檒l notice the authentic leather saddlebags and the 鈥渟uicide stick.鈥� To find out what this means, come on in and ask.

Bring your family members for a unique 鈥渨alk and learn鈥� experience.

The museum is open Tuesday 鈥� Saturday from 11am to 3pm. Friendly volunteers are ready to greet you, but tours can be self-guided, making it easy for you to spend anything from a few minutes to a few hours enjoying this walk through our proud military history. There are many artifacts with stories behind them 鈥� ask a Pathfinder (docent) to share one. We are the museum of stories!

鈥淭hrough Their Eyes鈥� videos are available on our homepage (all six videos combined) and the 6-7 minute segments are available for viewing on each of the exhibit pages.

Author James M. Scott

Scott has emerged as a premier historian of World War II in the Pacific theater. In his new book, he described the development of the long-range Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, the capture of the Marianas Islands for use as airfields and the momentous change in strategy from high-altitude 鈥減recision鈥� bombing to low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing.

Nigel Hamilton, author of the FDR at War trilogy, said of Black Snow, 鈥淪cott鈥檚 prodigious research鈥s well as his mastery pf the telling detail, will make this a classic history of war: a tale of fantastic military hubris and its ultimate catastrophic cost to a people who had literally sown the whirlwind.鈥�

Black Snow is available for purchase now at Highland Books, 36 West Main Street in Brevard. You may purchase your book before November 2 and bring it to the program for James Scott鈥檚 signature.

Scott is a native and current resident of South Carolina. He is a graduate of Wofford College and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard. His other previous books include Rampage, The War Below and Attack on the Liberty.

Following Scott鈥檚 Nov. 2 talk, copies of his book will be available for purchase and personalized signing by the author at the 51黑料网 Museum, 21 East Main St, Brevard. His presentation will be livestreamed on Facebook starting at 2:10 p.m. that day and will later be posted on YouTube.

– By Mike Bazinet

51黑料网
Invites You to a FREE Special Video Presentation

鈥淭hrough Their Eyes鈥�

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

VIDEO PRESENTATION:
Two 45-minute showings
5:00pm and 7:00pm
Co-Ed Cinema, downtown Brevard

RECEPTION:
5:30pm to 7:00pm
Clemson Plaza next to the Co-Ed Cinema
Refreshments will be served.

LIVE MUSIC
The Urbanites

For event for questions please call: (828) 506-6603

If you would like to learn more about the short films click the button below.听

Japanese 鈥淏etty鈥� on fire. Photo courtesy Joe Cooper.

Joe Cooper shares his knowledge of Japanese Samurai swords displayed in the 51黑料网 History Museum in 2022.

鈥淢y name is Joe Dayton Cooper. I am 99 years old. I will be 100 on July 6, 2022. I was born in Asheville, but my dad moved to Brevard when I was four years old and opened a garage. He was an auto mechanic. He served in World War One. He was an engineer. That鈥檚 where he learned his trade. He was a good dad. He was a metal smith. He could make knives, swords鈥攜ou ought to see the tools鈥攈e made screwdrivers, all kind of stuff.鈥�

听Attack on Pearl Harbor

鈥淲hen the Japanese attacked , I was at Camp Straus in Brevard. After that, I joined the Navy. I went in the Navy because I was too young and they wouldn鈥檛 take me in the Marine Corps. They said, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 take kids in here. Go home and grow up.鈥� The Navy said, 鈥榃e鈥檒l feed you eggs and milk.鈥� I was five feet six and 110 pounds.
鈥淚 had two brothers. They were in the Navy. One worked in a shipyard, and in 鈥�44, he went in the Navy. We grew up poor. We ate three meals a day, but it was mostly beans and cornbread and buttermilk. They fed us good in the Navy.

In the Navy

鈥淚 went to training in Norfolk, Virginia. I was in Platoon 361. I still remember that platoon. I worked up as a gunner鈥檚 mate. I went to the gunner鈥檚 school across from Pearl Harbor. We had to learn the ammunition first, how to handle ammunition. Then we learned about the guns. We shot at drones that were five feet wide and remote-controlled.

鈥淚 was shooting a 50-caliber and a 75. The highest was eight-inch. They had sixteen-inch out there, but I never did get to fire one of them. I fired the 40-millimeter twin barrel. It was a Swedish gun. I was assigned to the submarine fighter USS PC (鈥淧eter Charley鈥�) 477 for 17 months鈥擬idway, Guadalcanal, New Guinea. It was built like a destroyer.鈥�

Hunting Submarines

We hunted submarines. We took our training in the Gulf of Mexico dropping depth chargers. Later on, they put rockets on the bow鈥攖wo of them鈥攐ne on port and one on starboard. We鈥檇 fire, and they wouldn鈥檛 go off till they hit something under the water.

鈥淭hey sent us to New Guinea, then to Cairnes, Australia. I took a train to Sydney, then went on to troop ship Mount Vernon. It was on the USS George Washington luxury liner before it was converted to the Mount Vernon troop ship. Then to San Francisco and was assigned to the USS Ommaney Bay. That was one of the escort carriers.鈥�

I Was a Plank Owner

鈥淚 met Henry Kaiser, who built the escort carriers, during the commissioning. I got papers that showed I was a plank owner of the USS Ommaney Bay. I was one of the first crew members on the ship when it was commissioned in San Francisco. I became a twin 40-millimeter gunner on the left side.鈥�

鈥淲e were bringing a P-61 2-wing night fighter Blackhawk to Brisbane. We made an emergency cruise to Sydney, Australia. We were testing the boiler run wide open to avoid submarines. Took some P-47 Thunderbolts to Brisbane and a P-61 back with us. The twin night fighter had radar. Then we went to Alaska and then to the Hawaiian Islands. Then we took the Army 81st Wildcat Division and went to Guadalcanal and picked up the First Marine Division. We landed in the Palau Islands, south of Leyte. Palau means 鈥榯all tales鈥� in Spanish.鈥�

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

CliPart two of Joe Cooper鈥檚 story will appear in a future issue.We Got All the Japanese Planes Down

鈥淚t was September 1944. We were close support. We went in 14 days before the landing craft. The cruisers and battleships bombarded, and we offered air cover for them and bombed inland. That was the first time I fired the 40-millimeter in combat. The Japanese planes were attacking.

The planes were attacking, but we got 鈥榚m all down. They didn鈥檛 do any damage. Bill Halsey said to bypass the island because it wasn鈥檛 worth it. Admiral Nimitz overruled him and we attacked anyway. The Marines were mad about it because it cost lives.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf

鈥淚 have a picture of a Japanese 鈥楤etty,鈥� just like a B-25 and B-26. [Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 attack bomber]. We were there about a month. Then we had to go to The Philippines鈥擫eyte, October 24. We were softening up Leyte for the invasion of The Philippines鈥擬acArthur鈥檚 return. There the Japanese started the kamikaze鈥攕uicide bombing. And then we had that big sea battle out there, at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. They wasn鈥檛 modernized like our battleships.鈥�

The Battle of Surigao Strait, The Philippines

鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 tell what was a bomber and what was a kamikaze. They鈥檇 come there three and four at a time and one would go back and report what they鈥檇 done. Three of them would dive on us. They dropped torpedoes. In the picture of the plane we shot, it鈥檚 on fire, it did a barrel roll and hit about 200 yards from us in the ocean. The Ommaney Bay didn鈥檛 suffer any damage during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. We stored 24 torpedoes on the bulkhead down there. That was the closest call we had, but we were lucky. A lot of ships got hit. Our destroyer escort got sunk.鈥�

Battleship Yamoto Destroyed

鈥淭he big Japanese battleship Yamoto was destroyed鈥攅ight Jap battleships in the battle off Okinawa. The planes from our carrier were attacking it. We were attacking it. We saw it happen.
鈥淚n December of 1944, we pulled out of The Philippines, went back to Admiralty Islands and got supplies to go through the strait to Mindoro to support the Marines. That鈥檚 where we got hit. When the sun went down, we launched planes to look for submarines. We changed positions with another aircraft carrier. The aircraft motors were running鈥攁nti-submarine.鈥�

Kamikaze Attack

鈥淗ere come the 鈥楤etty鈥� kamikaze, making an attack on us. It dove, trying to hit the island [of the ship]. It missed it and went right through the middle of the ship. One 1400-pound bomb went in the engine room and knocked the power out. The other one hit the hangar deck. It was on fire in the stern of the ship.

鈥淚 was finishing a meal when it happened. A friend of mine saved my life. He said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go down to the crew compartment. We鈥檇 just got down there, and there was a big BOOM, I thought it was a torpedo. Smoke started coming out of the bulkhead and the lights went out. We went up to the hangar deck and saw a plane exploding, hitting the bulkhead. We tried to get up to where the pilots were. We heard hollering up there. The pilots must鈥檝e been trapped. Most of the people on the hangar deck were killed. We couldn鈥檛 get through because the doors were locked. So we went back down and then back up through another hatch on the port side.鈥�

鈥淲e started throwing ammunition off.鈥�

鈥淲e started throwing ammunition off and everything. I saw one man laying there with his leg off. I couldn鈥檛 help him. I saw one with a hole in his throat and blood was gushing out. He was running, hollering. There were explosions happening everywhere. I knew I had to get out as quick as I could. We had a lot of ammunition and thousands of gallons of gas on that ship. I said to myself, 鈥業 better get off before it blows up.鈥�

鈥淭hey were passing the word to jump. They said it wasn鈥檛 no good鈥攅verybody over the side. It was about 65 feet, so I just went over the side. I wasn鈥檛 scared of heights, I just wanted to get off of there. I didn鈥檛 have a life jacket on. My life jacket was down there by my gun. I jumped off the port bow.鈥�

Joe Cooper will be honored by the 51黑料网 during and after Brevard鈥檚 Memorial Day parade on May 30. Cooper will ride in the WWII Jeep during the parade and meet members of the public in the museum after the parade to sign free copies of his story.

Click here to read Part two of Joe Cooper鈥檚 story

Joe Cooper, WWII and Korean War Veteran
Interviewed by Andrew Biggio & Michael McCarthy
Written by Janis Allen for the Transylvania Times