When I tell my World War II veteran friends they are my heroes “The real heroes are the ones who didn’t come back At a presentation at the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas earlier this month veterans from the area had plenty of war stories to tell Seven Henderson County WWII veterans tell their stories here or patients who didn’t survive.  Navy Motor Machinist on an LST that landed on Normandy Beach on D-Day “I remember the hundreds of sailors who died in the English Channel off Slapton Sands during a training exercise on April 28 "We were practicing for the June 6 invasion Our flotilla of 15 LSTs was attacked by German E-boats (E stood for enemy) "Ammunition and cans of gasoline were exploding we were trying to rescue sailors in the water without life jackets The small boat’s coming.'  We pulled as many as we could out of the water and tried to save them I will never forget one man we put on the table where we ate I took his wallet out of his pocket and saw a picture of his wife I had to get a pillowcase to collect all the dog tags we could only save about 100 and we lost maybe 1,000 people.” Sarros’ LST made 65 crossings from England to Utah Beach and Omaha Beach then picked up ambulances carrying wounded American soldiers and paratroops and took them to the hospital in London Oregon and California before moving to Flat Rock in 2001.  Dorothy Managan was a US Army nurse during World War II and has lived in Hendersonville since 1980 many American soldiers who had been prisoners of war in the Pacific when they were brought back after the war ended Our hospital received these soldiers who had been tortured “We took care of them until they were stable enough to be transferred to a hospital closer to where their families were in the United States Managan had received her nursing degree at Western Reserve University in Cleveland through the government’s Cadet Nursing Corps program “I had received orders to go overseas to one of the Pacific islands Washington and became head of one of the wards and responsible for training other nurses I have many written memories from those former POWs that they gave me They were so happy to be back in the United States and what they needed were hugs and a lot of tender loving care.”  Managan went back to school using the GI Bill and earned her bachelor's degree She later earned her master’s degree in Public Health She married a Navy physicist and they had five children.  He worked on the Manhattan District Project in Los Alamos to develop the atom bomb which ended the war He later worked at the Navy Sea Systems Command in Washington Brush had completed one semester at Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he was called to active duty in March of 1943 Brush’s assignments included construction of test equipment firefighting details and guard duty at the Trinity site during the test of the bomb (in the event of fallout dangers to nearby sheep ranchers).  he was instructed to lie down and shield his eyes he was aware of a blinding light followed shortly by a thunderous roar They were without protection because they were a few miles away in the desert When he was interviewed by his stepdaughter for a college paper and the whole world was at war?”  He responded that he saw it as his patriotic duty to sign up with the Army and go into active service for his country He is now in his mid-90s and in a wheelchair but in good health.” He has 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren and lives in Mills River ArmyCrawford Shearer was driving a truck for the U.S We lost half of our outfit in three days — either killed or captured," he said Our gun companies had been overrun by the Germans.”  Shearer served with the Golden Lions on the German-Belgium border assigned to the 820th Tank Destroyer Battalion “We ended up in a small town in Belgium called Esneux The Germans were trying to bomb Antwerp and Liege But they ran out of gas and never got that far “The people of Esneux took us into their homes — two or three of us to a bed We were cold... we’d been sleeping outside in the snow and cold Three of us stayed with a family named Laval — a mother They had been under German rule for five years They were very poor and didn’t have a lot to eat We would bring them food from our mess hall “We waited there to get new equipment and personnel and the sky was almost back with our planes — hundreds of fighter planes and bombers We joined Patton’s Third Army Division and started southeast through Germany Shearer returned to his family’s bakery business in Detroit Back then was a time of patriotism when you wanted to go in and do your job and do your duty.” Hendersonville resident Myrl Jean Hughes served in the Pacific as a U.S Her complete story was documented in the 2006 book Natural Born Heroes: WWII Memories from One North Carolina Neighborhood (2006) by Hendersonville resident Bob Johnson “Myrl Jean had been treating illnesses and injuries in the South Pacific since her arrival in New Guinea in June 1944 with the invasion of Leyte in The Philippines on Oct the hospital got its first rush of casualties in early November and the island was finally secure by Christmas Day took care of orthopedic and leg amputee cases She also took care of routine cases such as torn ligaments and back injuries.” It suddenly dawned on me — I was moved to tears when I realized that I had not seen the American flag for months I can remember just sitting there practically bawling seeing the flag raised and saying the Pledge of Allegiance I realized the flag meant more to me than I thought it did.” in Christian Education from Macalester College in St and a Master of Arts from Columbia University in New York She had a 40-year career in Christian Education for Presbyterian Churches and moved to Hendersonville in 1994 “Pooch” Pace was 4 years old during the Great Depression in 1931 His family was living on Greenville Highway Many families stopped (at our house) and asked if we had anything they could eat A lot of the children would be crying because they were so hungry “I enlisted in the Army at the end of World War II and served in Occupied Japan as a Control Tower Operator at Kizaru Air Base I saw some of my friends crash and not survive I was in the tower at the time waiting for him We had planned to go out together that afternoon I got on the crash truck and went out to the crash I had other friends get shot down over Czechoslovakia and Germany I was fortunate that I got in radio school when I did.” who owned a heating and air conditioning business in Hendersonville WWII P-47 Fighter Pilot Ed Cottrell flew 65 missions in the Battle of the Bulge. Cottrell says he thinks about his best friend and roommate, 2nd Lt. Ted Smith, who was shot down in Belgium. In 2021, Cottrell visited his friend’s grave in Holland — 77 years after Smith’s death. His visit to the grave was posted on YouTube: WWII veteran visits friend's grave in Holland. Cottrell also remembers and honors his father, Dr. Elmer Cottrell, who served in the U.S. Army in World War I, and his father-in-law, Dr. Paul Weed, who was wounded and received two Purple Hearts serving in the U.S. Army in World War I. Cottrell remembers another battle in which he survived but another friend did not. "All of a sudden, there was oil all over the windshield and I couldn’t see anything.  These brave women and men who sacrificed so much for our freedom are always quick to remember those who aren’t here now to tell their stories. Who will you be thinking of on Memorial Day? Janis Allen is the Director of Communications for the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas. Thirty additional area WWII veterans' stories are in her book "We Shall Come Home Victorious: Stories of WWII Veterans In Their Own Words." The book is an honor project for the Museum and is on sale in the Museum's gift shop in Brevard for $20. All proceeds go to the Museum, located at 21 E. Main St. in Brevard. Allen can be reached at janisallen@janisallen.com. © Nicolas Da Silva LucasThe use of rain chains evokes an intimate connection with the rain channelling water with grace and elegance in tune with the seasons The exterior fittings have been designed to interact closely with the new interior spaces a boudoir has been meticulously converted from the former lounge This unique room has an air-conditioned wine cellar where residents can enjoy their favourite wines The ambience of this room contrasts sharply with the rest of the house as dark colours have been chosen for the paintwork drawing attention to the wooden floor and the wine cellar itself The choice of brass and walnut for the kitchen units balances the raw look of the structural concrete columns and granito floor warm and friendly atmosphere that's a pleasure to live in You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email The Belgian Ardennes is a densely forested area of hills and valleys where rivers flow and meander green and wide Part of the Eifel mountain range and once considered impenetrable much of the region was ‘undefended’ for parts of both World Wars but became home to underground resistance groups and saw vicious reprisals swimmers and kayakers can all find joy in nature here Many Belgian towns have tourist offices well stocked with maps and local guides Apps like Wikiloc and Gaia offer online mapping for routes similar to those here but please beware relying on a mobile phone for hiking I can also highly recommend Jeff Williams’ Cicerone guide entitled Walking in the Ardennes thanks to whom I first discovered some of these trails Remember to be aware of weather forecasts and recent rain when considering river walks Spectacular river meander views and a visit to a protected hamlet Start out at the Rue de Féchereux car park Follow the paved road along the banks of the Ourthe river to Fêchereux and look for a forest path leading steeply uphill at number 12 Take a deep breath and maybe stretch a bit for the short but intense climb – more than 100m turn left and follow the narrow path as it rises and falls again It leads to the ridge of the wonderfully named Roche aux Faucons Keep following the path until you reach a fence At an intersection with a villa on the right Here begins a long descent through the forest back to the Ourthe the walk shadows the Ourthe in the direction of Esneux notice the old Belgian cottage-style houses and look up to see Esneux’s restored castle Follow the paved road parallel to the Ourthe You’ll be rewarded by reaching the picturesque limestone cottages of Ham an ancient Belgian village protected since 1991 In Ham the road immediately veers left and after a few hundred metres Make the choice yourself to turn left (fifteen minutes longer From there head right to return to your starting point Visit a camp where the Group D guerrilla resistance fighters hid during the war Feel the tranquillity of tiny Chapelle du Flachis dedicated to the Group D members shot in revenge by German occupiers The walk climbs to stunning viewpoints over the meanders of the Semois river and has a fantastic surprise near the end An abrupt start with a steep ascent of Vresse’s rue de la Chapelle takes you into the forest (so again be sure to stretch and limber up before you begin!) Head straight onto an unmetalled track and maintain a northerly direction up into the woods Look for the climb flattening by a field corner Turn right and pass over a knoll to a sign where a left turn and sharp descent will lead you to the Camp of Blaireaux (Badger Camp) a resistance stronghold never discovered by the Germans descend to a track and waypoint where the camp is signposted Take the right-hand track after the farm to a corner of a wood A left turn brings you along a lovely lane with valley and village views You’ll join a road on a northwest bearing and the Chapelle du Flachis is not far up on the right Shortly beyond the chapel (around 150m) turn left Begin to turn west then south through evergreen woods turn left to a junction and left again looking for a right-hand path next to open country that will take you into the trees again down to a stream and up again towards Membre Keep the church on your right and Membre bridge is ahead When you’re sated (unless you’re saving your packed lunch until the forthcoming viewpoint) By ‘hill’ I mean a 325m schlep up to the viewing tower on the Roche à Salou fork right from the top and onto a path split seven ways (Les 7 Chemins) Shortly a road will round a corner and you’ll want to take a left-hand path to go past a hotel into Laforet village You won’t be able to bathe your feet in the disused washhouses but the road will curl to the right where a track takes you to the river – and a 30m woven bridge across the Semois this surprising bridge lays low over the water and has no rail It’s woven from hornbeam and is a remnant of the days when tobacco growers needed access across the river Turn left on the opposite bank and head northwest again It’s deliberately too narrow for carriages supposedly to prevent Sainte Agathe from coming to Vresse and influencing Saint Lambert’s converts It boasts over 2km of bookshelves for readers to enjoy and hosts a yearly book festival around Easter the whole village closes to traffic for the occasion just across the hills the European Space Agency’s vast satellite dishes point skywards Start at Redu’s church and head down the Rue de Transinne past the tourist office turn right out of the village on a path across a field Be aware that the track is rough in places Waymarkers for the walk are white and red striped ignoring the bridge to walk along the banks of the river until Lesse village A riverside picnic area awaits if you’re hungry Take the left-hand path towards Roche aux Chevaux According to a macabre and upsetting legend old horses would be backed off the top of this rock until they fell into the void historians insist only dead animals would be thrown from the rock at the confluence of two important Belgian rivers provides a chance to get up close and personal with river management infrastructure as well as feast on views across the water to the Chateau de Freyr with its Le Notre style formal gardens and 300-year-old orangeries You’ll also meet the imposing limestone formation beloved of rock climbers that is the Roches de Freyr where a path heads to the Meuse and under the railway keeping the wide pleasure-oriented banks of the Meuse on your right Before long the Chateau de Freyr can be seen on the other side You’ll pass a fortified farmhouse and along a ‘tree tunnel’ to the valley floor where a left turn brings you to a bridge in 400m Ignore the bridge and go left to find a path along the Lesse valley floor back to Anseremme a viaduct and one of the most iconic Ardennes sights make this challenging walk more than worthwhile Park in Herbeumont Chateau car park if needed Head out on a path from the back of the car park descending through woods to a road where you need to hairpin right and carry on down to the river You’ll see the official bathing and diving areas Take concrete steps and join the road briefly Pass a road to the right and take a trail right beyond it You’ll pass under the old railway into a lane Pass the last house and a shrine and bear west join an old cart track bearing left across hillside A GR route leading left to Mortehan village is next Over the bridge and take a left-hand lane past housing to a trail bracing for an immediate right up a steep path Pass through a deer gate and cross the valley head to keep heading in the same direction until a right-angle turn to the right After a gate and a better section of track southwards for 2km before forking left and bearing left find the less obvious ‘not GR’ of the tracks to head into the trees (it goes almost alongside the road at first After 250m you’ll cross over another track straight onto a broader trail Another 250m and you’ll be heading right with a valley on the left You’ll ascend to a viewpoint with magnificent views over the Tombeau du Chevalier – one of the Semois’s famous oxbow ‘islands’ that resembles a knight’s resting place downhill to a re-entrant and rising again to another belvedere Left again and you’ll see Herbeumont below taking the precipitous GR right to the main road Turn right and next right again onto a small road Double back northwards onto the viaduct and head just over a kilometre back to the start This is an easy intro to the Hautes Fagnes or ‘High Fens’ Work is ongoing to preserve and reinstate peat bogs Visitors should stick to paths and raised walkways near the village of Herbiester and follow the green rectangle trail southwest on boardwalk You’ll pass boggy places and go through more open woodland Stop for a moment after about 2km at the Croix des Fiancés Ponder the tragic fate of engaged lovers Francois and Marie-Josephe who ignored warnings in January 1871 and died trying to cross the fens in the snow still on the path and at a road descend to the Pont de Beleu bridge Turn left after the bridge to join an educational walk with information boards across the Fagne de la Polleur choosing a lefthand path at the end of the boards and signage near Baraque Michel unless you want to do another gorgeous loop of the Fagnes Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website Statistics cookies collect information anonymously This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website On the banks of the Semois river, offering great hiking, fishing, canoeing and swimming, Camping Maka is a well-organised nature-first campsite with 50 touring pitches and 30 spots for tents – all situated near the water where fire-pits are situated for that cosy camp feel steep wooded hills climb either side of the river valley and a pulley slide provides excitement for kids (as well as a boules area and some play equipment) Terraces are built into the hill on the north bank A small shop and bar greet you near the entrance where wood carvings and totems add to the outdoor adventure feel Other facilities include (payable) wifi and a modern heated toilet and shower block visit the village of Auby-sur-Semois and the historic town of Bouillon with its Vauban-designed castle Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от Camping Les Murets – Esneux Liège Belgium (@campinglesmurets_esneux_liege) Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от Camping Sagittaire (@camping.sagittaire) the vestiges of bombed-out bridges still jut across the river and an eerie tunnel links the two villages Another one close to the French border, this campground is conveniently situated near main roads and motorways, and just 10km from Dour and its eclectic music festival. Neat grassy pitches are peacefully located in an attractive walled site right next to the medieval Chateau of Roisin (which has become a restaurant) three fishing ponds and a waterside brasserie with large terrasse Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от camping trois fontaines (@campingtroisfontaines) Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от Camping de Rimboe (@derimboe) Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от Camping Du Moulin Malmedy (@camping.du.moulin) Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram Публикация от Camping du Mettey (@campingdumettey) This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.