Contributions to War Effort
- North Carolina Shipbuilding Co. constructed 243 cargo ships for Merchant Marine and Navy
- All five armed forces stationed here, British Navy also
- P-47 fighter training base; anti-aircraft artillery advanced training base
- Official Defense Capital of the State
- Defense industries: shirts manufacturer, pulpwood, fertilzer producers, dairies, truck farming
- Principal state port along Cape Fear River
- Two Medal of Honor recipients from white high school
- Many servicemen decorated for valor including carrier pilot with 3 Navy Crosses
- $40 million raised for war bonds
- Three German prisoner of war camps
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad headquarters and terminal
- U-boat firing on chemical plant
- County population triples to ca. 100,000
- 5,495 public housing units built for white and black war workers
- 14 USO facilities in county
- 248 county men in uniform lost their lives
Preservation Accomplishments
- Shining star attraction since 1961 is Battleship North Carolina, state’s memorial to its WWII dead.
- Formed World War II Wilmington Home Front Heritage Coalition. A 501(c)(3) non-political, all-volunteer preservation organization. Mission: identify, preserve, and interpret the WWII legacy of Wilmington and Southeastern N. C.
- Saved, preserved, renovated, and restored Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center, the area’s WWII activity hub
- Coalition raised nearly $100,000 for building’s restoration, preservation, and other activities
- Staged WWII veterans meet-and-greet jamborees and USO-style dances;
- Added exhibits, artifacts, memorials to the 248 New Hanover County dead, its aviators, Medal of Honor recipients, and outstanding veterans; and National WWII Memorial giclee
- Celebrated the seventieth anniversary with students through music, drama, and dance: ‘Christmas 1944 at the Wilmington USO’
- Celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary with the original musical play ‘Mrs. World War II Wilmington: We Fell in Love at the USO’
- 2017 annual Pearl Harbor ceremony with Survivors (99, 97, 95) plus 25 other veterans
- New York Times, WarHistoryOnline, and Our State Magazine: as potential tourism destination
- Named a school and city park for two WWII Medal of Honor recipients, erected memorials at New Hanover High School and the HBHUSO/CAC
- Formed WWII Remembered Group of veterans, home front workers, and enthusiasts
- Erected markers, including for two German prisoner of war camps
- Published and distributed three editions (100,000 copies) of the ‘World War II Heritage Guide Map of Wilmington and Southeastern North Carolina’
- Coalition chairman has given some 700 presentations and media interviews, written two books, and wrote or been principal source for some 300 print articles about the subject