Cancellation of Saturday, April 11 speaker program

听WWII veteran Simon Gurdal, scheduled to speak at the 51黑料网 History Museum tomorrow, unfortunately had a fall last evening. He will be OK, but we must cancel his presentation for Saturday, April 11.

We will announce a new date if we can re-schedule soon.
Also, another opportunity to hear Simon is coming up June 20. He will tell his story at the Etowah Library at 11:00 AM.

You鈥檒l see complete details here in our newsletter in early June.
Thank you for your understanding.

Saturday, April 11, at 11:30 AM at the 51黑料网 History Museum at 21 East Main Street in Brevard. At this free event, Gurdal will talk about his service in WWII in the Belgian Army, serving under British Field Marshall Montgomery.

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.

Cycling Fundraiser on the Natchez Trace Parkway

Once again, intrepid athletes Rich Clarke and John Buford are pedaling to benefit the 51黑料网! This time, their endurance, grit, and determination will be tested on the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway which winds from Natchez, Mississippi, to just south of Nashville, Tennessee.
The trek begins on April 12th.

Last year, those who supported the bikers’ 500-mile marathon enabled us to:

• Refurbish our library, allowing students and adults to research projects from the First World War through the Global War on Terrorism;
• Offer the community free programs which celebrate our veterans鈥� stories and honor their sacrifices;
• Provide private group tours to public school classes, homeschoolers, scout troops, Jr. ROTC, and adult groups; and, most importantly,
• Keep our doors open despite a large drop in attendance and donations immediately following Hurricane Helene.

We hope you will pledge your support of these dedicated cycling veterans in their epic ride while ensuring the mission of the museum continues its growth in educating, preserving and honoring the United States military veteran.

Here’s how to pledge (billed later):

1. EMAIL your pledge to museum Treasurer Michel Robertson: mjrobertson@comporium.net
   (note second letter is a “j”)
2. Call 828-884-2141 or drop by the museum: 21 E. Main St., Brevard.
3. To , click HERE to go to our website; include “bike ride” in your notes.

James Milton Fletcher, WWII Veteran

Joining Up at Age 17

鈥淚 took my oath at Fort McPherson, Georgia on June 6, 1944鈥擠-Day鈥攆ive 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鈥檚 Alabama Polytechnic Institute.

Training for Combat in Europe

鈥淭he 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鈥攂asic training at Fort Robinson, Arkansas. Then to Fort Meade, Mayland as replacements in the Battle of the Bulge.
鈥淏ut 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鈥攃limbing 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.鈥�

The Battle of Okinawa

鈥淲e 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, 鈥楬ow did you manage 110% casualties?鈥� The answer was, 鈥楾he replacements get shot pretty fast.鈥� The life expectancy, I heard, was 90 minutes when we got there.

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

鈥淭hree 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.鈥�

The Japanese Surrender

鈥淓verybody 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.

鈥淲e were very happy at the dropping of the second bomb, and there was so much celebrating, we lost 600 men on the island鈥攌illed due to stray munitions. We shot ammunition and dumps and everything else to celebrate鈥攕hooting up in the air and blew bombs in caves where the Japanese Army would hide. I never got a scratch鈥攋ust injured my knee by stepping into a post hole.鈥�

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: 鈥淭he 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.
鈥淎ugust 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.鈥�

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

鈥淧eople 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.鈥�

Back Home and Back to School

鈥淚 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.鈥�

Service During the Korean War

鈥淚 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鈥攁ll 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鈥檚 badge.鈥�

Career and Family

鈥淚 worked in sales and teacher training for Scott Foresman & Company. It was the largest textbook publisher in America鈥攕tarting with Dick and Jane and going all the way through college. I retired after 30 years. I loved my job.鈥�
“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.鈥�

鈥淚 love my country.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 here for my country. I love my country. It鈥檚 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鈥檓 a happy person.
鈥淚 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鈥檝e lived in Brevard, N.C. for 10 years. I鈥檓 a firm believer in education. I鈥檓 taking an art class now and I鈥檝e studied Chaucer, Middle English, and the Great Books. I attend yoga鈥nd always siesta at 2:00 pm. I鈥檝e had a good life, a full life.鈥�

National Guard soldiers and their families were treated to a farewell dinner

Honor Guard Chaplain Craig Adams opened the event

Honor Guard Chaplain Craig Adams opened the event with a prayer for the safety of the soldiers. Representing Anchor Baptist Church, USMC veteran Daniel Nicholson welcomed the soldiers and their families. US Army Lt. General John Brown (Ret.) offered words of support to the soldiers. 51黑料网 founder Emmett Casciato told the soldiers 鈥淲e appreciate you and we will never forget you.鈥� The soldiers were presented with gift bags from the museum prepared by volunteer Ginger Newman. Transylvania Sheriff鈥檚 Deputy and Pastor Jeremy Queen closed the event with a prayer for the success and safety of the soldiers鈥� mission in Iraq. The soldiers鈥� families were encouraged to share contact and social media information so they may get to know and support each other, sharing news during the year their loved ones are deployed.

Lt. Gen. John Brown offers words of support to the National Guardsmen as they prepare to deploy to Iraq

Top photo: Unit Commander (left) offers appreciation to Emmett Casciato while his team member and Daniel Nicholson look on

听Article by Mike McCarthy