Pacolet Area Veterans

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.
 
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This web site has been started as a public service to share the story of Pacolet.
See more information about my Pacolet connection at Gerald Teaster.