Mike Parker: Kinston & Lenoir County to Remember WWII Heritage
Although I never met Floyd Dawson of La Grange, my wife Sandra's father, we have a photo of him and a fellow soldier standing in front of an ambulance. Sandra’s father was part of a team that went to the front lines of World War II to pick up the wounded and take them to the nearest field hospital.
Joe, my brother-in-law, said his father would never talk about his war experiences. According to some of Floyd Dawson’s comrades-in-arms, he and others of the ambulance crews saw the worst of the wounded.
My mother’s brother, Jake Wykle of West Virginia, had stormed the beaches at Normandy on D-Day. He was another former combat soldier who would not – or could not – talk about his wartime experiences. I asked him about D-Day only once, and Uncle Jake’s face went blank, and he began to tremble.
Kinston and Lenoir County will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a series of events and activities on Friday and Saturday, September 26 and 27. Some of the activities planned for this observance include displays of World War II US Army and Marine Corps uniforms, equipment, and weaponry. Some displays will feature captured war trophies from Axis forces.
A highlight of this observance will be a ceremony at the Lenoir County Courthouse honoring those from Lenoir County who gave their lives in World War II and celebrating those veterans still living in the county.
Organizers are also putting together a bus tour of notable WWII sites in the area, including the two Kinston WWII USOs, notable wartime businesses and hotels on Queen Street, and a final stop at the Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield-Kinston, ancestor to the Global Trans-Park.
Other displays will feature a look at life on the Kinston/Lenoir County home front during WWII, including rationing, product shortages, airplane spotters and air raid drills.
Organizers are also planning a WWII-themed “swing dance” and social event, featuring 1940s music mixed with live entertainment and dinner on Saturday night, Sept. 27. Soldiers and Marines, male and female, will be wearing WWII uniforms to add atmosphere to the night. Although period dress is not mandatory, dance attendees are encouraged to dress in their best 1940s-style attire.
During the evening, a PowerPoint program will showcase many of the men and women of Lenoir County who served during WWII.
The planning for the WWII commemorative events is being coordinated by VisitKinston and the Friends of the CSS Neuse Museum. Military historian and author, Cliff Tyndall, is working as a consultant. Tyndall, a Lenoir County native now residing in Wilmington, penned the 2024 book, “A Snapshot of Kinston and Lenoir County During WWII.” In addition to participating in the Saturday displays, Tyndall will be narrating the bus tour.
The planning committee is also working with local veteran’s groups, such as the American Legion, VFW, and G.I. Joe’s Military Living History Museum.
Keep checking with Neuse News for more updates on plans for the September events. Neuse News will feature articles illustrating Kinston and Lenoir County’s WWII heritage, both in the military and on the home front.
Go ahead and put September 26 and 27 on your calendar.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
Information about the photo. Floyd Dawson of La Grange is on the right. This photo was taken in Burma.
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