Every Year on March 1 is designated Joe Cooper Day in Brevard

Make-A-Wish

In early 2023, Joe Cooper was given a “make-a-wish” opportunity by the NC State Veterans Home in Black Mountain where he resides. One of his wishes: visit the Veterans History Museum in Brevard.

Last March 1, Brevard’s Mayor Copelof welcomed Cooper with a public ceremony and read a proclamation declaring the date Joe Cooper Day. Cooper was then 100 years old (photo at right).

This year, at age 101, Cooper celebrated the 2nd annual Joe Cooper Day by visiting the museum on its March 1 opening of the 2024 season. He greeted visitors and showed them the 1945 pictures of a Japanese “Betty” kamikaze plane he and his shipmates shot down in the Pacific, and the photograph of his ship, the , as it burned after a kamikaze crashed into it on January 5, 1945.

The USS听Ommaney Bay, burned as the surviving members of its crew watched from the USS听Minneapolis听after they were rescued.

Joe Cooper being interviewed by NHk Japan Broadcasting.

5 hours in shark-infested waters

Cooper survived 5 hours in shark-infested waters. After WWII ended, he enlisted in the Army and served on recon patrols in the Korean War.

We look forward to celebrating many more Joe Cooper Days with Joe!

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鈥攁nd perhaps lives. Cottrell will tell the story of how these former adversaries developed a quick friendship, ending their meeting 鈥渇orever friends.鈥�

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.

鈥淏ow-wow, bow-wow, arf-arf, woof!鈥� That鈥檚 dog-speak for National K-9 Veterans Day, celebrated on March 13 and commemorating the service and sacrifices of American military dogs throughout history.听

The United States had an unofficial canine force in World War I. Military dogs, however, were not officially recognized until听March 13, 1942, when a private organization, Dogs for Defense, was established to recruit the public鈥檚 dogs for the U.S. military鈥檚 War Dog Program. Thus, the K-9 Corps was born. Often referred to as the 鈥渦nsung heroes of the battlefield,鈥� war dogs stand beside their handlers facing danger and providing protection for thousands of men and women in combat.

In recognition of National K-9 Veterans Day, the following three stories of dogs from different conflicts exemplify the honor and courage of our country鈥檚 military working dogs.

Stubby: WWI Hero Promoted to Sergeant

While training in New Haven, CT, soldiers befriended a mixed breed dog who seemed to enjoy their company. They named him Stubby. Smuggled to Europe by his new friends, Stubby became the unofficial mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, assigned to the 26th Yankee Division.

In France the fearless pup participated in 17 battles and four offensives on the Western Front. Stubby鈥檚 patriotic contributions included alerting troops to incoming mustard gas attacks, comforting the wounded, locating missing soldiers lost between the trenches, and boosting morale. Stubby allegedly caught a German soldier by the seat of his pants, holding him until American soldiers assumed responsibility.

General John 鈥淏lack Jack鈥� Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, presented America鈥檚 four-legged hero with a gold medal, praising his 鈥渉eroism of the highest caliber鈥� and 鈥渂ravery under fire.鈥� Stubby is the first dog to be nominated and promoted to sergeant through combat. His remains lie in the Smithsonian Institution.

Stubby was promoted to Sergeant in WWI and received a gold medal from General John Pershing.

Smoky: WWII鈥檚 Smallest Soldier

Slogging through a dense New Guinea jungle during WWII, an American GI heard a puppy yapping and discovered a 4-pound 17鈥� tall Yorkshire Terrier in an abandoned foxhole. Smoky was adopted by Corporal William Wynne and the inseparable duo spent the next two years braving a kamikaze attack, heat, limited rations, typhoons, air raids, combat missions and parachute jumps. Smoky had her own homemade parachute.

Smoky’s most famous exploit occurred in January 1945 on a Japanese island when, encouraged and directed by Wynne, she crawled through a narrow sand-filled 70-foot-long 8-inch-wide culvert with a telephone cable attached to her collar.听 Her courage spared GIs from exposure to enemy bombs and bullets.

When the war ended Wynne smuggled the tiny dog back to the U.S. in an oxygen mask carrying case. Dubbed “Yorkie Doodle Dandy,” Smoky became a celebrity as well as听the world’s first therapy dog, visiting wounded veterans in hospitals across the nation.

Nemo: Wounded in Action in Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, German Shepherd Dog Nemo and his partner, Airman 2nd Class Robert Thorneburg served as a sentry dog team in the 377th Air Police Squadron at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon.

On December 3, 1966, two VC units tried to infiltrate the base. Thorneburg and Nemo were on sentry duty at an old Vietnamese graveyard near the air base鈥檚 runways. Nemo detected several VCs making an assault and sounded the alert. Thorneburg was shot in the shoulder and Nemo was shot in the muzzle, the bullet exiting through his right eye.

Ignoring his serious head wound, the 85-pound shepherd attacked the four Vietcong guerillas, giving Thorneburg time to call in backup to secure the attack. Only then were man and man鈥檚 best friend medevacked to safety. The base veterinarian performed surgery, but Nemo lost his right eye. In July 1967, he returned to the states as the first sentry dog officially retired from active service.

Credited with saving Thorneburg鈥檚 life, Nemo was hailed as a hero. He was taken on tours throughout the U.S. and lived in a special kennel at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas until his death in 1972.

In Vietnam, military dogs were credited with saving the lives of 10,000 men, although many handlers who served there feel this number is grossly underestimated. Of approximately 87,000 missions, the dogs uncovered 2,000 tunnels and bunkers and enabled 1,000 enemy captures and 4,000 enemy kills. (From 鈥淲AR DOGS: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love鈥� by Rebecca Frankel.)

Sadly, Nemo was one of only 200 of the 4,000听dogs who served in the Vietnam War who returned home after the war ended.听Their handlers and other veterans continued to fight for the rights of war dogs, pushing for legislation to create a program听for their adoption. As a result, Congress passed 鈥淩obby鈥檚 Law,鈥� signed by President Clinton in 2000, ensuring that dogs now serving in the U.S. military will have a home when they finish their service.

Nemo lost an eye during the Vietnam War, which did not deter the courageous attack which saved his handler. He was retired to Lackland, AFB, in Texas and made numerous national tours.

Today’s military working dogs will return home, thanks to “Robby’s Law,” passed in 2000. No dogs left behind.

The Cold War, Setting the Stage

1949-1970

Truth be told, the authors of this article are no historians but we did live through the years of the Cold War. Duke from 1955-1985 and Art from 1970-1995. Both of us flew the Strategic Air Command’s refueling tanker, the KC-135 and Duke also the U-2. These thoughts are ours. They adequately portray a time when the world may have actually teetered on the edge of nuclear annihilation. Unsettlingly,听a 1959 movie,听On The Beach, depicted the aftermath of a nuclear war.听In the words of Paul Nitze, present from the war’s start to its finish, wrote, 鈥淥ne of the most dangerous forms of human error is forgetting what one is trying to achieve.鈥� Let’s see if we complied with that advice. It was a time of testing the water. Here’s how this play began.

The Great Powers Competing

After World War II, the Great Powers (the United States and Russia) began to compete鈥攆or property, people, and predominance. And when Western Europe and the United States formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, 1949) in fear of Russian expansion鈥攁nd perhaps partly in fear of Germany rising militaristically again–the stage was set for a 鈥渨ar鈥� that would last 42 years. As a counterbalance to NATO, Russia, in 1955, formed the Warsaw Pact and Europe was truly divided by an Iron Curtain. Who were these then who swept us into an era the likes of which we had never seen?听Of proxy wars and the threat of annihilation and mutual assured destruction.

The Actors

NATO: United States, Great Britain, France, Italy,听Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal. Greece and Turkey were added in 1952, West Germany in 1955, and Spain in 1982.

The Warsaw Pact: United Soviet Socialist Republic, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Hungary, Poland and Romania.

These lineups remained constant until the end of the Cold War.

The Scenes

Treaties and Agreements:听When the Soviets developed a nuclear device in 1949, we welcomed in the Nuclear Age weaponry and round after round of alphabet negotiation. SALT I, II; SDI; ABM; MLBM; IRBM; ICBM; SLBM; MIRV; GLCM; START; among others which extended throughout the period.

These were the 鈥渂ig boy atomic toys鈥� that each side wanted to regulate鈥攂allistic missiles that could be launched from air, land or sea. Throughout the years of the Cold War these weapons got the most attention, testing and development.

Cloak and Dagger

And another age emerged. The 鈥淎ge of 3-Letter Agencies鈥� to investigate, monitor, spy, or foment at times, unrest in various places around the world鈥攊ncluding the U.S.听A war of cloak and dagger. The Red Scare of Joe McCarthy gave rise to J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. In 1948, President Truman authorized the creation of the CIA which subsequently gave rise to American 鈥渕eddling鈥� in the modern world. Welcome to the War of Cloak and Dagger—and the growth of modern terrorism. We saw the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine Liberation Organization, Red Brigades, Provisional Irish Republican Army, Weather Underground and others the world over.

The Shooting Wars

And just off the Main Stage (left and right), shooting wars in Korea and Vietnam were placed among other skirmishes and crises around the globe. It was a time of the 鈥淐ultural鈥� Revolution in China. The Suez Crises, the Congo, Yom Kippur, Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Francis Gary Powers U-2 shoot-down over Russia. The Berlin Wall dividing Germany, the invasion of Czechoslovakia, and many more places and events you probably never heard of. It kept our heads spinning as to what would happen next.

NOTE: Duke was on 24-hour alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His KC-135 accompanied nuclear loaded B-52’s. His unit launched 22 tanker sorties a day offloading fuel to their matched bomber. The bombers were airborne 24 hours at a time. He notes it was like an implausible but frightening movie for the aircrews and their families.

And it was a period of continual negotiation aside from the madness of the supporting players. But bluff and bluster gave rise to American superiority and security as we shall see in Part II.

Art Cole (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) served for 25 years from 1970-1995. A Command Pilot who held Squadron, Base, and Wing commands, he also held senior level positions in Headquarters/Strategic Air Command and the office of the Secretary of Defense. Operationally, he flew the EC-47, T-39, KC-135, and B-52. After retirement he flew 16 years with the Federal Express Corporation. He volunteers at the 樱花直播.

Richard G. 鈥淒uke鈥� Woodhull, Jr. (Colonel USAF, Ret.) is a Command Pilot with 6500 hours of military flying. From 1955-1985, he held multiple command, staff and diplomatic positions.听
His Cold War and Vietnam War operational flying qualifications include the U-2 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft and KC-135 tankers, among others. He volunteers at the 樱花直播.

Article by Art Cole and Richard (Duke) Woodhull

The Age of Presidents and the Holy Grail 1971-1991

1971-1991

These were the years when the United States, the Soviets and now China made efforts to improve relations. Finding the 鈥渁rms race鈥� particularly expensive, they entered into a period of give and take. And in the spirit of giving, when Nixon made a historic visit to China, the US dropped our objection to China’s presence in the UN, and China appeared on the world stage.

SALT Agreement & Helsinki Accords

Also in 1972, SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) was signed by Nixon and the Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev. The agreement restricted the number of ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) of both sides. This was followed closely by the Helsinki Accords (a non-binding agreement) which was signed by 35 countries including the USA and the USSR. This recognized the European borders established after World War Two and gave tacit approval to Soviet control over Eastern Europe. Thus a bi-polar balance of power was created which dominated all actions related to future foreign policy.

However, when the Soviets began to update their nuclear arsenal in Eastern Europe in the late 70s, the West responded in kind. But when SALT II was negotiated it gave serious disadvantages to the West in the areas of missiles and heavy bombers鈥攊t even counted 230 鈥渕othballed鈥� aircraft to be included under the ceiling. By its overwhelming weight given to the Soviets, the treaty never emerged from Congressional committee. And while Carter said we should live under the intent of the treaty-that-wasn’t, the Soviets made no such commitment.

The Carter Doctrine

When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, President Carter outwardly supported the Mujahideen and his CIA clandestinely supported them with weapons and funding. He put forth the Carter Doctrine pledging to use force to stop incursions into the oil rich Middle East states. He also imposed economic sanctions on the Soviets.

Reagan and Star Wars

In 1980, Ronald Reagan came to town. It began the period of 鈥淜ing Arthur and the Black Knight.鈥� After assuming office, Reagan announced an increase in defense spending at the same time the Soviet economy was struggling. So when Reagan approved the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) in 1983, the Soviets were out of airspeed and ideas. The Black Knight was defeated. And the Grail might be within reach.

Gorbachev Replaces Brezhnev

In Russia a change had also occurred. Brezhnev was out and Gorbachev was in. And to the delight of the West, he was someone with whom even Margret Thatcher (Great Britain’s Prime Minister鈥攖he Iron Lady) thought she could negotiate. He brought in an economy based on competition and incentives to produce, reversing decades-old Marxist policies.

However, it was still no match for those in the West so he began cutting spending on nuclear weapons. This led to further negotiations: the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks put a limit on warheads and missiles and the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces talks limited the levels of intermediate range nuclear forces in Europe and Asia. (The INF was finally signed in December 1987 after more than half a decade of negotiations.)

Militaristically the Cold War was about to end. Thus in 1989, the increased Soviet 鈥渓axity鈥� in social and economic programs allowed Eastern Europe to also change. Communist parties in a few vassal states were dropped. Leaders were democratically elected. Borders were open to the West. Former Republics declared their independence.

The Berlin Wall tumbled down.

And the greatest result? The USSR was dissolved and in 1991 Russia became a Republic. Also in September 1991, nuclear-equipped bombers and their associated tankers President Kennedy had on 15-minute ground alert since 1961, were ordered to stand down.

The Cold War had ended.

NOTE: From 1991-1993, Art was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Office of Economic Adjustment working to help communities whose bases were selected to close begin the economic development process. In 1992, the office was approached by former Eastern European communities, asking for an appraisal of the facilities the Russians had left.

Long story short, there was no attempt at environmental cleanup. The electrical grid, the water/sewer system, work areas, living quarters, etc., were primarily 1950s technology. No wonder communism failed.

So in the beginning and in the end, what was the Holy Grail?听鈥�… [It was] not only to create a tolerable structure of political and economic order, but also to help defend it while under construction from those who still believed that a better world for them could only be obtained through further widespread tearing down.鈥澨�(Paul Nitze)

We believe that the Grail was achieved. But there is still much to do. Still those out there who would destroy rather than build. But that’s a game of a different nature. Wish us luck.

ENDNOTE:听Again, this is an abbreviated look at 42 years. We have keyed on the points we considered important; you may have others just as significant. But from where we sat, from the cockpits of 15-minute alert, to the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command, to making inputs to 1980s NATO war plans, to flying the early models of the U-2, it was quite a ride.

Art Cole served 25 years from 1970-1995. He is a Command Pilot who held Squadron, Base, and Wing command positions. He held senior level positions in Headquarters/Strategic Air Command and the office of the Secretary of Defense. Operationally, he flew the EC-47, T-39, KC-135, and B-52. After retirement he flew 16 years with the Federal Express Corporation. He gets by in English.

Duke Woodhull, after ending his thirty-year Air Force career which began in 1955 and ended in 1985, worked twelve years more with The Boeing Company. He settled with his wife in the idyllic mountains of Western North Carolina. A former U-2 pilot, he also flew the KC-135, C-54 and various other aircraft in his DOD assignments. Duke has held senior Command and Staff assignments and is fluent in two foreign languages.

Article by Art Cole and Richard (Duke) Woodhull

New museum exhibit honors the history of the US Air Force, displaying uniforms from WWI to the present

“The Piggyback Flight” shown in the painting above

Rodney Remus museum volunteer tells the story of the Piggyback flight

Uniform of Brevard resident Chris Whitmire

Oxygen regulator

The First Drones

On one wall is the three-dimensional crest of the highly decorated 432 Fighter Wing which was inactivated in 1994.听However, in 2007, it was rebranded as the 432 Wing. It forms the U.S. Air Force鈥檚 first unmanned (later remotely piloted) aircraft systems wing (i.e., 鈥渄rones鈥�).听The Wing performs unmanned precision attack and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance combat missions, flying the Air Force into a new age.

Air Force Veteran Volunteers

from the freestanding models to the pictures on the walls, these various donated mementos are from people who desired to have their family’s artifacts live on for the enjoyment of others. Many of the museum volunteers have flown or maintained some of the aircraft you see, so if a question arises, feel free to ask any of us. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll get one for you because we 鈥淎im High鈥� each and every day.

Art Cole (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) served for 25 years from 1970-1995. A Command Pilot who held Squadron, Base, and Wing commands, he also held senior level positions in Headquarters/Strategic Air Command and the office of the Secretary of Defense.听Operationally, he flew the EC-47, T-39, KC-135, and B-52. After retirement he flew 16 years with the Federal Express Corporation. He volunteers at the 樱花直播.

The 樱花直播 is not just about four walls of a building filled with artifacts and history. It鈥檚 about the lives of veterans. It鈥檚 about celebrating their past service and their lives given for our country. But it is also about remembering who they are today and celebrating them.

After weeks of holiday festivities, we gaze forward to the coming year. We often wonder what the next year will bring.听Will the coming days be just like any other?

I asked Myrl Jean Hughes (pictured second from left below) that question at the birthday party Janis Allen and Mike McCarthy planned for seven of our WWII veterans on January 2, 2024. I asked, 鈥淗ow did it feel to wake up on your 101st birthday yesterday?鈥� Myrl Jean replied, 鈥淛ust like the day before.鈥�

From left, WWII veterans Joe Cooper, Myrl Jean Hughes, Pooch Pace and Ed Cottrell.

It is a wonderful feeling to be in their presence, watching them converse with each other and always take the opportunity to share a story with someone.

Joe Cooper: 鈥淚 served in WWII for duty, honor, and country. That鈥檚 right. You go serve your country in a time of need.鈥�

Milt Fletcher: 鈥淚 was one of the last members who served in WWII. I was happy to serve. I joined selfishly to get a college education. I served in Japan to defend the country and I served during the Korean War to preserve the peace. I鈥檓 proud of my country. It helped me buy a home, get my degrees, and I get great help from the VA. I鈥檓 very happy to have served and God bless America.鈥�

Harold Wellington: 鈥淚 was proud to be there and serve.鈥�

Ed Cottrell: 鈥淚 guess I was like every other guy who was called to serve his country. You chose what branch you wanted and you went.鈥�

Myrl Jean Hughes: 鈥淚 would not want to repeat it but I would not trade those three years for anything.鈥�

Pooch Pace: 鈥淚 was real honored to be taking part. I was a pilot in civilian life and I worked in a control tower in Japan in the occupation force.鈥�

Over lunch, Milt Fletcher and Joe Cooper discovered they had both served in the 184th Regiment, 7th Infantry Division at different times鈥擣letcher in Okinawa and, later, Cooper in Korea. Fletcher said, 鈥淛oe served a lot longer than I did. He went in early and came out late. I went in late and came out early.鈥�