Top photo: US Marines manhandle a 155mm Long Tom artillery piece through the mud on Rendova Island.

Jack H. (Nick) McCall

Jack McCall, Sr., nicknamed Pogiebait

Jack H. McCall, author and Guest Speaker on July 29, 2023

Jack H. McCall, author of Pogiebait鈥檚 War, will be held on July 29 at 2 p.m. at Brevard College in the McLarty-Goodson Hall, Room MG-125, in Brevard.

McLarty-Goodson Hall is the first building on the right after the main entrance to the Brevard College Campus. Signs and museum volunteers will direct attendees. Room MG-125 is a comfortable theater-style class room on the building鈥檚 first floor.

The program, sponsored by the 久久精品, is free and open to the public

Pogiebait鈥檚 War is available for purchase at 36 West Main St., Brevard. The author will autograph books for those who bring their copies.

By Mike Bazinet

, authors of Wings of War

, Guest Speakers

On June 17, Authors of Wings of War,听 David Fairbank White and Margaret Stanback White will talk about their book chronicling the story of the famed听World War听II P-51 Mustang.

They will speak at 2 p.m. at Brevard College鈥檚 McLarty-Goodson Hall, Room MG-125,听 in Brevard.

You may purchase the book Wings of War at 36 West Main St., Brevard. You are invited to bring your copy of the book on June 17 for the authors to autograph.

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, 久久精品 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 久久精品front 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 久久精品.

The program, sponsored by the 久久精品, 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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The team also brought in a U.S. Army Special Forces detachment and together with the Green Berets and Afghan allies, Team Alpha moved and fought on horseback from the mountains to liberate the city of Mazar-i Sharif. Later, team members helped put down the al-Qaida prisoner uprising at Qalai-i Jangi.

Tyson’s presentation includes detailed accounts regarding individual Afghan warlords, combat cavalry operations, and other daily activities in Afghanistan. It is accompanied by photographs and video footage.

David Tyson retired from CIA鈥檚 Clandestine Service

David Tyson retired from CIA鈥檚 Clandestine Service in 2020 after a 25-year career. The majority of his service was overseas; most of his postings and deployments were to Central Asia, the Caucasus region, and South Asia where he was a Chief of Station twice. He led/took part in paramilitary and counterterrorist operations in war zones, often working closely with U.S. Special Forces and foreign intelligence services.

Tyson began his intelligence career as a linguist and interpreter, achieving fluency in Russian, Uzbek, Turkmen, Turkish, and Farsi/Dari. He is a recipient of CIA鈥檚 Distinguished Intelligence Cross, the Agency鈥檚 equivalent to the Medal of Honor, and the Agency’s Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.

Prior to working for the Agency, David Tyson served in the U.S. Army, both enlisted and as an officer. He has a BA in International Relations and Russian Language from West Chester State University, and two master’s degrees from Indiana University; one in Central Asian Studies and the other in Russian Studies. He taught Uzbek and Turkmen languages while at IU and authored several articles and books on language and culture.

听CIA Senior Intelligence Officer David Tyson, Guest Speaker

On Monday, May 15, retired CIA Senior Intelligence Officer David Tyson will share his experiences leading the CIA response to the 9/11 attacks.

He will speak at 7:00 PM in the Rogow Room at Transylvania County Library at 212 South Gaston Street in Brevard, NC. Admission is free, presented by the 久久精品.

You may purchase the book First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 at , 36 West Main Street in Brevard. You are invited to bring your copy of the book on May 15 for Tyson鈥檚 signature.

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Marjorie Eastman standing in front of convoy in Afganistan

Marjorie Eastman presentation

Marjorie K. Eastman, author and Guest Speaker April 29, 2023

Marjorie K. Eastman, author of The Frontline Generation: How We Served Post 9/11, will speak on April 29 at the Transylvania County Library, 212 South Gaston St., Brevard, presented by the 久久精品. Eastman鈥檚 talk is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the library鈥檚 Rogow Room, is free to attend, and will include a question-and-answer period.

You may purchase Eastman鈥檚 book at , 36 West Main Street in Brevard. She will be glad to sign your book on April 29.

Author Steve Zaley

– By Mike Bazinet

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 Veterans 久久精品, 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

After Brevard College, Kiser earned a Master鈥檚 Degree in 久久精品 Studies in Washington D.C. She served as an intern one summer at the Biltmore Estate, working with their rare book collection, cataloging and reporting on the condition of rare 19th century works. She also worked for the Freemasons at their headquarters and official archives in Washington D.C.

Working at the National WWII 久久精品 in New Orleans has turned into a dream job for Kiser. 鈥淎t first I really wanted to work at a historic house like the Biltmore or Allison Deaver. When the U.S. Navy stationed my husband in New Orleans, I applied for museum jobs there,鈥� Kiser recounted. 鈥淚 had an interest in World War II since my grandfather was a marine veteran of Guadalcanal.鈥� Because of her wealth of internship experience, she got the job.

Kiser worked first as a registrar at the National WWII 久久精品, and today she is Senior Registrar & Director of Collections Management. 鈥淥n the physical side, I am responsible for proper housing, tracking, and prepping for an exhibit, also noting what needs conservation. On the intellectual side, I make sure that donations and purchases meet all legal and ethical standards, proper cataloguing and standardized nomenclature, and setting the standards for our cataloguing manual and database.鈥�

The idea for Loyal Forces came out of her work as a curator of exhibits. Her colleague and co-author, Lindsey Barnes, and Kiser convinced the Director to let them put together an exhibit on the service animals. Dogs served as mascots for many individual units; horses took part in the last mounted cavalry charge in U.S. Army history; and 36,000 homing pigeons helped deliver messages. The exhibit was a huge hit with visitors, and Louisiana State University press contacted Barnes and Kiser to turn their project into a book.

This free program is provided jointly by Brevard College and the 久久精品. It will be livestreamed on Facebook starting at 2:00 p.m. on October 20 and will be posted subsequently on YouTube. Copies of the book Loyal Forces will be available for purchase and signing by the author at the event. Students, alumni, and anyone in the community interested in the history of World War II or the important role of service animals are invited to attend. 鈥淚n the frightening and uncharted world of war, servicemen and women could count on the transport given by horses and mules, the protection offered by dogs, the communication delivered by pigeons, and the solace provided by mascots and pets,鈥� write Kiser and Barnes.

Watch the presentation by Toni McCourt

Wilkerson鈥檚 will present highlights of the premier American fighter aircraft of the WWII European theater 鈥� the P-38 Lightning, the P-47 Thunderbolt, and the P-51 Mustang. He will also share vignettes of the colorful fighter pilots who flew them.

The combination of these 鈥渨inning aircraft and winning pilots鈥� played a pivotal role in winning the skies of WWII Europe for the Allied cause.

As will be explained in depth by Wilkerson, the P-38, P-47, and P-51 collectively won control of the skies over Europe and enabled the ultimate destruction of Nazi Germany:

• The 鈥渇ork-tailed devil,鈥� as the P-38 was known by its Luftwaffe adversaries, was an airplane ahead-of-its-time, being designed by the Lockheed 鈥淪kunkworks鈥� in the late 1930s. The P-38 protected U.S. heavy-bomber missions over Germany, served as a fighter-bomber during and after D-Day, and took more aerial reconnaissance photos than any other plane in WWII.
• The heavily-armed, eight-ton P-47, known as the 鈥淛ug鈥� by friends and foes, was powered by a huge 18-cylinder R-2800 radial engine, making it the Army Air Force鈥檚 primary, most powerful fighter-bomber early in WWII. The P-47 was effective both in dog fights and in strafing missions against German ground forces. Ed Cottrell, an Army Air Force veteran living in Hendersonville who is currently 100 years old, piloted a P-47 during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.
• The P-51 was a high-performance, high-altitude fighter with the range and reliability to escort Allied bombers all the way from England to Germany and back. Due to the P-51, the Army Air Force achieved air superiority over Germany by the summer of 1944. By late 1944, the P-51 eliminated the Luftwaffe as an effective fighting force. Commented Nazi Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring: 鈥淲hen I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up.鈥�

Images of the P-38, P-47, and P-51.听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听– Courtesy R. Wilkerson

Wilkerson, a native of Texas, received his B.A. degree from Texas A&M University and his M.B.A. from the University of Houston. His long and varied career saw him playing significant, often concurrent, roles with the U.S. Air Force, the Texas Air National Guard, Continental Airlines, and the multinational bank Soci茅t茅 G茅n茅rale. He retired to Brevard with his wife, Elaine, eight years ago.

This program is offered by the 久久精品 as part of our history series of guest speakers. We invite you to join us for this free program, which will also be livestreamed on Facebook beginning at 2:05 PM EDT on September 8. The recorded program will also be available later on the museum鈥檚 website.

For more information, please call 828-884-2141.

Article By Gregory Ehr

Above picture of curvature of the earth visible from 70,000 feet. Photo Courtesy R.G. Woodhull

Col. Richard 鈥淒uke鈥� Woodhull, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

A Waiting Chase-Car

Woodhull will share, from first-hand experience, the unique challenges of piloting an aircraft of highly unorthodox design and performance characteristics. The U-2 was notoriously difficult to control at both high and low altitudes, and it was 鈥渦nforgiving,鈥� resulting in the loss of a number of U-2 pilots. Even landing the U-2 was challenging, requiring the assistance of a waiting chase-car to provide real-time guidance to the pilot to enable touch down.

Flying Rescue Aircraft for In-Flight Emergencies

Woodhull鈥檚 eight-year involvement with the U-2 spanned three distinct roles. Initially, for a period of three years, he piloted SC-54 rescue aircraft in support of U-2 missions. He and his crews would fly beneath U-2 flights over North and South America, pre-positioning themselves to respond to in-flight emergencies. He then piloted U-2s himself for another three years, flying classified missions from bases in the United States, Southeast Asia, and South America.

Managing U-2 Operations Around the World

For a final two years, he served as Chief of the U-2 branch of the Air Force鈥檚 Strategic Reconnaissance Center in Omaha, Nebraska, managing U-2 operations around the world. In addition to his U-2 experience, Woodhull fulfilled a broad range of exceptional roles. Among others: KC-135 jet tanker pilot, Training Chief for the Brazilian Air Force, and U.S. Defense and Air Attach茅 to the Philippines.

About the Speaker

Woodhull was born in New Jersey and grew up in Florida. As a young man he enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program at Florida State University; subsequently he was selected by the U.S. Air Force for appointment as an Aviation Cadet. He sees himself as 鈥渢he beneficiary of blessings of every kind.鈥� He has two adult children, and he and his wife Ann jointly undertook many of the exploits in his long and extraordinary career. They have been residents of Brevard for more than 25 years.

This program is offered by the 久久精品 as part of our history series of Guest Speakers. We invite you to join us for this free program, which will also be livestreamed on Facebook beginning at 2:05 PM EDT on August 26. The recorded program will also be available online later via www.theveteransmuseum.org, the museum鈥檚 website.

Book-Signing

Copies of Woodhull鈥檚 book, Flying High 鈥� Memoir of a Thirty Year Adventure will be available for purchase ($20) at Woodhull鈥檚 book-signing at the museum immediately after his program. A portion of the book sales will be donated to the museum.

For more information, please call 828-884-2141 or visit www.theveteransmuseum.org. The 久久精品 is located at 21 East Main Street in Brevard. Open hours are Tuesday 鈥� Saturday from 11am to 3pm. Admission is free.

By Gregory Ehr