a necessary war bookcover

World War II book to be published by Anderson County [SC] Museum

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The Anderson County Museum will publish a book this fall that contains the World War II experiences of twenty county residents. “A Necessary War: Anderson County Residents Remember World War II” will include the stories of veterans as well as civilians who supported the war effort in 1941-45. The author of the book is journalist and writer Kathryn Smith, who has been conducting interviews since last fall.

Ansel Hammonds Jr., a Pearl Harbor Survivor and World War II veteran, waves at the crowd gathered for the 2012 Veterans Day parade in Anderson, SC. Photo courtesy Sefton Ipock, Independent Mail.
Ansel Hammonds Jr., a Pearl Harbor Survivor and World War II veteran, waves at the crowd gathered for the 2012 Veterans Day parade in Anderson, SC.

The museum is seeking donations for the project in any amount, but donors who contribute $100 or more will receive complimentary copies of the book and various forms of recognition for the World War II heroes they want to honor. All donation information is listed below. The deadline for donation recognition to be listed in the book is September 4. Donations are tax deductible and can be made via credit card or PayPal using the donate now button below or by mailing a check to the Anderson County Museum, 202 East Greenvile Street, Anderson, SC 29621. Proceeds from the sale of the book will help the museum expand its exhibit on Anderson County’s military history.

“The book will be released on October 22 to coincide with the museum’s 30th anniversary,” said museum director Beverly Childs. Spearheading the project is Dr. Marshall Meadors, a family physician with Primary Care Associates. “As I was caring for patients, I realized many were World War II veterans who had extraordinary memories about their war experiences,” Dr. Meadors said. “But I also realized these men were in their late 80s and 90s and many are dying or developing memory loss before their stories can be shared with a wider audience.”

With Smith’s involvement, the project was expanded to include home front experiences. “The World War II Memorial in Washington bears a quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” she explained. “It says, ‘They have given their sons to the military services. They have stoked the furnaces and hurried the factory wheels. They have made the planes and welded the tanks, riveted the ships and rolled the shells.’ Without the sacrifices of people on the home front, the war could not have been won.”

For information, contact Beverly Childs, director, at bchilds@andersoncountysc.org or 864.260.4737.

More articles on WWII museum exhibits:

New Exhibit at Salem Museum celebrates D-Day(Opens in a new browser tab)

‘I Remember’ at Gadsden Museum of Art(Opens in a new browser tab)

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