Enter the Price of Freedom Museum on Weaver Road, and you are immediately surrounded by history. A large portion of that museum is dedicated to the military heroes of the “Greatest Generation.” They served in World War II and faced incredible adversity when they went overseas to protect the freedom of the United States of America.
One of the biggest annual events for the museum is near the D-Day date of June 6. Many of those heroes have been on hand for the special D-Day open house and remembrance in the past, or they just stopped by to tour the museum at other times. For the first time this May 31, visitors will be able to hear some of these veterans recount their experiences by video.
Late last year, the Rowan County Airport had a B-17 Flying Fortress on site for a few days. The prior year had seen another B-17, the Memphis Belle, spend some time at the airport while undergoing repairs. Military veterans came from miles around to see those World War II-era planes. One of my favorite memories was of Floyd Daugherty from Landis telling about his 30 missions aboard those B-17s while flying out of England. Mr. Daugherty was there for an interview with me, but as we walked around the plane, I noticed that a large group of people followed as the former tail gunner told of one harrowing tale after another. We were all mesmerized with that accounting of his service.
Airport Manager Thad Howell and I heard many veterans of that era talk about their experiences. We both were in awe of those veterans. Thad and I wondered aloud whether it would be possible to film them, saving those accounts for others to hear for many years to come. Thad offered space at the airport, but we were just scratching the surface. There was work to be done. We needed a plan, a consistent pool of veterans, and someone with the knowledge and equipment to at least get the filming started.
I talked to Bob Mault, founder of the Price of Freedom Museum, about the idea. Lots of things were going on at the museum, and it just didn’t seem to be the right time to take on another major program. Not much happened until after the first of the year. Mault called and said, “This has been on my mind. We need to get this program going.” Several of his friends from the World War II era had just passed away.
My next step was to write a column describing what the museum wanted to do. Mault planned to set up an area to professionally video those veterans, starting with some of the oldest first. Most of the World War II veterans were either approaching or already in their 90s. Mault had the space, a steady stream of veterans, and the desire to get them on digital tape.
What he didn’t have was the professional videographer willing to take the time to get the program started. We hoped the column would help Mault find the right person. He was confident and said, “We have the idea started. I had another idea when we were able to start the museum. Things will work out.”
Eventually the right people stepped forward. Bobby Harrison is heading up the program for the museum staff and Mike Bebber, an Air Force veteran and professional videographer, promised to help after a conversation with Mault.
Knowing that there would be a learning curve, filming began on April 22. William Franklin Wilkerson, a veteran of the assault on Omaha Beach at D-Day, was first in line. He recounted being blown out of his foxhole by an artillery blast. Wilkerson was wounded and during his recuperation met General Eisenhower who personally awarded, his Purple Heart medal.
John Allison, of China Grove, told about his service in the Air Force in the Philippines. Allison was a radio operator at a time when thousands of Japanese soldiers were being forced out of caves in the area. Allison also served during the Korean Conflict. After World War II and with a college degree in agriculture, he taught area farmers returning from the war how to improve their productivity. One of those farmers was my dad.
On April 29, Baxter “Buddy” Sherrill described his experiences as a bomb loader on the B-24 long range bombers that flew out of England. After loading those planes, and seeing them off, they waited. Later in the day, those bombers would begin to return. Often they would be flying damaged planes that didn’t always land safely. Other planes never returned.
Dave Dagenhart of Mount Ulla told of his experiences as a replacement soldier who landed four days after the original assault on Normandy by United States forces. Dagenhart said, “The bullets were flying all around us. There were bodies everywhere.” Dagenhart fought at St. Lo and in other battles, eventually earning both a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
Sadly, Floyd Daugherty passed away earlier this year. His would have been a great story to be preserved. But it was his talk as we walked around the Memphis Belle that got the idea rolling. He would have been happy for that.
These videos will eventually play as part of the museum tour. Veterans from other eras will be added also. Plans are to restore the old auditorium and show them there. Museum staff and volunteers will continue videoing veterans while building a library of those videos.
The museum is located at 2420 Weaver Road, China Grove. For more information and scheduling, call 704-857-0840 or e-mail leeannchristy@yahoo.com .