From its very beginnings, the
Pacolet Community has furnished many of its sons
to defend our country. This carried on the tradition of
their ancestors who helped found this country by
fighting at local places like Cowpens and Kings Mountain.
Proper recognition has never been given to those who
gave this country years of their youth and sometimes
even their lives. At some time, a proper monument should
be built in Pacolet in memory of all those who have
served to keep us free.
To my knowledge, there has never been a complete list
made of all the veterans from the Pacolet area dating
back to the country's beginnings. The closest to this is
is a list in Volume II of The History of Pacolet
in 1984 and it is not complete. Read more about this
list at Partial Veterans List.
I would like to offer space on this website as a place
to compile and recognize all of the Pacolet area
veterans. The Veteran Information is
shown on the Memorial Register of Pacolet
Veterans. This also includes
people that attended Pacolet High School even though
they might not have lived right in Pacolet. This would
include being in service in peace time and in all the
wars back to the country's beginning. The names that
have been added or corrections from the original list
are shown in red. We invite you to add to or correct
this list and tell us about a veteran. He or she can be
a family member or a friend. They can be serving now or
served in the past. Please include as much of the
following as you can:
Name
Branch of the service
and approximate dates they served
Any information about
where they served
Any additional information
or stories about their service
If you have it, include
a scanned photo to accompany the listing
Please send to me at gteaster@pacoletmemories.com.
There is a section of this website that is
devoted to "Additional
Information". This is more details, photos,
etc. that have been furnished to me about a veteran
whose name is on the list. This material is not
alphabetical but is listed in the order I have received
it in emails, letters, etc.
I have recently
received information about the Robinson family of
Pacolet that has a remarkable record of service to our
country. This family had eight sons in service! Read
their amazing story at Pacolet
Robinson Family.
New
Book on Vietnam by Pacolet/Goucher Native
People from the Pacolet area have defended this
country from before the Revolutionary War. For the most
part, their stories have not been written down and
preserved. Col. Roy Mathis of the Goucher community has
changed that. He has just released a book that describes
his service in Vietnam as an army chaplain with the 82nd
Airborne Division. The book is It Was A Long Way
from Home & A Long Time Ago But God Was There.
This very
interesting book is available directly from Col. Mathis.
Click on this link, Col.
Mathis Book, to learn more about the book
and how to order it.
Col. Mathis is Recognized
and Honored
On November 18, 2017, Colonel Mathis was publicly
recognized during a Clemson home football game as "Vietnam
Veteran of the Year" by the Patriots Point
Naval & Maritime Museum. Congratulations to Col.
Mathis for receiving this high honor!
Pacolet Casualties in World
War 1
They are mostly forgotten today
but Pacolet men fought in World War 1 and at least
three gave their life for this country. You can see
more about them in Pacolet Men Killed in
WW1.
Mr. Hugh Jones is
one of the veterans of World War I from Pacolet
that has not been forgotten. Thanks to his
granddaughter, Amanda Hogan Slusarczyk, the
story of Mr. Hugh Jones has been preserved. Mr.
Jones has many descendants still living in the
Pacolet area. You can read his interesting story
by clicking on the link above.
First Pacolet Soldier
Killed in Action in World War II
Over 300 men from the Pacolet
area served in the service during WWII. All of
the sons from the Pacolet Sullivan family were
in the military. One of them, Royce Dean
Sullivan, was the first Pacolet soldier killed
in action in WWII. Another, James Carroll
Sullivan, landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day and was
badly wounded. Read about these brave soldiers
in The Sullivan
Story in WWII.
Black Veterans from
the Pacolet Area
I have recently been given a list of the Black
Veterans from the Pacolet Area (May, 2017). This list
has been compiled by Carmen Wannamaker-Amos and her
cousin Cesar Wannamaker. They have a number of relatives
on the list. Many of these veterans were already on the
Memorial
Register of Pacolet Veterans but
some are not. The Register has now been updated to
insure that it includes the Black Veterans. You can read
the list at Black
Veterans from the Pacolet Area.
