Veterans Museum reopening set with survivor of WWII kamikaze attack
BREVARD - When World War II and Korean War veteran Joe Cooper, 100, received the “Make-a-Wish” honor at the North Carolina Veterans Home in Black Mountain and asked for his wish, he answered, “A trip back to the Veterans Museum and a ride on a train.”
He’ll get his train ride this fall. His trip to the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas in Brevard will come a lot sooner, as it will happen on this year’s opening day — March 1. At 10:30 a.m. in the Transylvania County Courthouse gazebo, Museum Founder/Curator Emmett Casciato will introduce N.C. Veterans Home Administrator Kylie Conkin, Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof and Transylvania County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jason Chappell, will speak to honor Cooper’s service to our country.
Transylvania County Honor Guard Chaplain Craig Adams will offer the benediction.
Immediately after the gazebo ceremony (until noon), Cooper will be available inside the museum to talk with visitors, tell his stories from World War II and the Korean War, and sign free copies of his complete story for visitors. Other local Korean War veterans will join him to sign the book which honors them, "The Forgotten War Remembered" and several World War II veterans will also be present to sign their books “We Shall Come Home Victorious.” Books are $20, with proceeds going to the museum.
Cooper served in the US Navy in the Pacific during World War II. While Cooper was serving as a gunner on the aircraft carrier USS Ommaney Bay in The Philippines, a Japanese kamikaze dove into the center of the ship. After initially attempting to throw ammunition overboard to avoid further explosions, the crew was ordered to abandon ship. Cooper, without a life jacket, jumped 65 feet into shark-infested water and was given a life jacket by another sailor. The ship burned and sank.
Around 297 of his shipmates were killed. About five hours later, Ommaney Bay survivors were picked up and taken to safety. Cooper then served as a gunner on the USS Minneapolis for five months. He served in the US Navy from Dec. 27, 1941, to December 28, 1945.
When World War II ended, Cooper was honorably discharged. Back home in Brevard, he wasn’t able to find a good job, so he joined the US Army. He initially served in Germany during the Berlin airlift, then volunteered for combat when the Korean War started, serving with a recon unit at Heartbreak Ridge and The Punchbowl. He served in the US Army from 1948-53.
Back in Brevard again after the war, Cooper worked as a mechanic at Olin Corporation (later Ecusta Paper Corporation) and worked there until his retirement.
In case of inclement weather, the 10:30 a.m. ceremony will be held in the upstairs meeting room of the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce at 175 East Main Street. Signs will be posted at the museum’s front and back entrances if the ceremony is moved. Guests are asked to arrive early if the weather changes, to allow time to get over to the Chamber of Commerce.
The public is invited and admission is free.
The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, currently still closed for the winter, is located at 21 East Main Street in Brevard (beside the courthouse). Beginning March 1, open hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For more information, call 828-884-2141 or visit www.theveteransmuseum.org.
Janis Allen is the director of communications for the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, located in Brevard.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Veterans Museum reopening set with survivor of WWII kamikaze attack
