Eden looks back at WWII

A crowd gathered in the rain at the Washington Street Park in Eden Saturday morning to remember the local men who sacrificed their lives in World War II.
“It was a good crowd considering the weather,“ said Louise Price, president of the Eden Preservation Society. Price made opening remarks at the ceremony. She called the World War II remembrance celebration and exhibit at the Eden Historical Museum “extraordinary.“
“The cause of it is what
is extraordinary,“ she said. “This generation literally saved the world.“
At the ceremony, Sheriff Sam Page read the names of the World War II dead from the towns of Leaksville, Spray and Draper (now Eden).
“Hearing those names just brings it home,“ said Price.

Those who remain
Several World War II veterans came out to Saturday’s remembrance celebration. Among them was James E. Wood, of Leaksville. He was 19 when he was drafted and began his service in the 29th Infantry of the U.S. Army.
“My outfit was the first to hit the beach in Normandy in 1944,“ said Wood. “Nineteen of our outfit got killed in one day. I was one of the lucky ones. I got away.“
Wood was wounded in action from shrapnel. He spent 10 months in an Army hospital and received a Purple Heart for his valor.
Wood attributes his luck on the battlefield to a rabbit foot his mother gave him before he went overseas. He still has the rabbit foot. Wood said he wouldn’t trade anything for his experience in the Army. He said he doesn’t know what would’ve happened if American men hadn’t fought in World War II.
“We would be lucky to be here,“ said Wood. “We’d have Hitler to tell us what to do.“
Howard Nichols, a World War II veteran from Draper, donated his medals and war memorabilia to the Eden Historical Museum for the World War II remembrance exhibit. Nichols was in the 336th Combat Engineer Battalion of the Army and fought in the D-Day invasion.
“I was in Europe until it ended over there and then I finished up in the Philippines,“ he said. Nichols was impressed with the World War II exhibit at the museum.
“It’s real nice,“ he said.

Those who can learn from the past
Pat and Melissa Whitten, members of the Eden Preservation Society, put together the exhibit in the museum. Pat, a former educator, said he hoped the exhibit would teach young people about the sacrifices American servicemen made for their country during World War II.
“It sort of gives a historical lesson as you walk through,“ he said. The museum even included a timeline of the major events of World War II, from 1941 to 1945.
“There was a lot of history inside that museum there,“ said Ray Kelly, a Vietnam veteran and member of the VFW and American Legion. “I think he [Pat] did a nice job and I’m glad he did it.“
Members of the Morehead High School ROTC got a visual representation of World War II at the museum after they presented the colors at Saturday morning’s ceremony. Hunter Edwards, a sophomore, Jared Schmidt, a junior, and Jody Allen, a junior, all have relatives who are veterans. Schmidt’s grandfather fought in World War II. He said he appreciates being able to learn about military history.
“If you don’t learn history, you can make the same mistakes,“ he said. He said he has learned about military history from going to World War II reenactments as well.
Allen also enjoyed learning about the World War II era at the Eden Historical Museum.
“The uniforms they wore back then interest me,“ he said.
“They actually had pretty good music back then, too,“ he added, as the 1940s swing music played in the background. The World War II exhibit in the museum has cultural artifacts as well as war memorabilia. The museum has an area called “The Home Front” that included a representation of a “Victory Garden,“ war bonds, and old radios and telephones.
On the military side, the museum had World War II weapons, uniforms and artifacts from the battlefield, such as a Japanese flag and a German flag. The National Guard also had military vehicles on display during Saturday’s remembrance celebration.
The Eden Historical Museum at 656 Washington St. will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays for those who would like to view the World War II exhibit.
Staff Writer Miranda Baines can be reached at or 349-4331, ext. 35.