Living Histories

To Honor, Educate and Preserve our History by Remembering and Honoring our Veterans.

Vietnam Veterans: Jimmy McKinney Traveled With Big Red I

by Michel Robertson | Dec 9, 2018 | Living Histories

Brevard native Jimmy McKinney was married and working at the Ecusta plant when he received his draft notice in May 1966."There were a lot of us from Transylvania County," McKinney recalled. "It was the biggest draft since the Korean War, taking guys that were married....

Honor Flight Offers Special Homecoming to One of Vietnam War’s First Veterans

by Michel Robertson | Oct 22, 2018 | Living Histories

Vietnam Veteran Series by Michel Robertson Article first appeared in The Transylvania Times on October 22, 2018 On October 6, 2018, I accompanied 92 Vietnam veterans to Washington, DC as a guardian on a Blue Ridge Honor Flight. Among the veterans was David Crandal, of...

Ervin Bridges: Walking to War

by Michel Robertson | Jun 18, 2018 | Living Histories

Captain Ervin Bridges spent much of his time in Vietnam struggling through jungles and rice paddies. Bridges remembered lying on the ground during a particularly bloody battle wondering to himself, “What the heck am I doing here? Why did I volunteer?” A native of...

Vietnam Veteran Describes Exploits As A Green Beret

by Michel Robertson | Dec 4, 2017 | Living Histories

Vietnam Veteran Series by Michel Robertson Article first appeared in The Transylvania Times on Dec. 4, 2017 Mike DiRocco’s clandestine entry into Vietnam began on a moonless night in the Viet Cong-controlled Van Canh valley, 200 miles north of Saigon. The 12-member...