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The Thursday, June 6, 2002 KINGS He Vol. 114 No. 23 Since 1889 MOUNTAIN George Cicerano in first wave to hit Omaha Beach June 6, 1944 By GARY STEWART Editor of The Herald Fifty-eight years ago today on June 6, 1944 American and allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in a massive attack on German forces that marked the beginning of the end of World War II and Hitler's domination of Europe. While the attack had been meticu- lously planned and trained for for several months and soldiers were told they would meet little resist- ance, the allied forces - and particu- larly the U.S. - suffered some of their greatest casualties that day. Carpenter arrived just By GARY STEWART Editor of The Herald Charlie Carpenter was probably fortunate that he didn’t land on Omaha Beach at the appointed hour. Carpenter's Cannon Company of the 16th Infantry Regiment was supposed to hit ae on D-Day at H-Hour Plus 20 minutes - or 20 minutes after the 6:30 a.m. attack began. He was aboard a LCVP landing craft with vehicle personnel and their cables were severed on their approach to the beach. They ended up going around in circles until the second wave of boats drug them in to shore. By the time they got off the boats and out of the water, it was about 8 o'clock. Still, the fighting was fierce and the American losses devastating. The water and beach were literally covered with dead and injured American soldiers. “If you saw the beginning of the cally saw what I saw and I try not to remember much about,” said Carpenter. Carpenter was the forward observer for his company. Most of the day on June 6 he was all up and down the beach as a general mes- sage boy for Colonel George A. Because of poor weather condi- tions - heavy fog and choppy seas - most of the ships and boats carrying allied forces and equipment missed their landing target. Some of the ships that hit their target at Omaha Beach turned out to be setting ducks for Rommel’s German forces that were dug in high atop the cliffs and pummeled the Americans coming onto the 6- mile stretch of Omaha Beach from the time their feet hit the water. One of the soldiers in the first wave of troops to hit Omaha at H- hour (6:30 a.m.) was George Y to ask City for $2.2 million for expansion By BEN LEDBETTER Staff Writer The Kings Mountain YMCA will present a proposal to-the city coun- cil during a special meeting of the Kings Mountain City Council Thursday at 6:30 p.m. which could keep the city’s recreation costs fixed for 20 years. Kings Mountain YMCA Executive Payment would be made over a 20-year period in addition to $300,000 per Cicerano of Kings Mountain. Most See D Day, 3A moments later movie Saving Private Ryan, you basi- Director David Ozmore said a new year city proposal for improvements to the former community center will also currently i be less of a burden on tax payers. pays for ivr The Y will be asking for a 20-year GARY STEWART / HERALD contract during the meeting. YMCA to run George Cicerano with his World War “I think that we're doing what's recreation Il medals. in the best interest of the city,” Ozmore said about fixing the cost at programs $300,000. For improvements of the city- owned Cleveland Avenue building, it will cost $4.5 million with the Y paying $2.3 million or 51 percent of the project. The city would pay $2.2 million or 49 percent. “In our eyes, this is a sweetheart of a deal for the city council,” Ozmore said. The city’s money will go toward the construction and it will send $110,000 per year separately from it’s recreation money, according to Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey. The current contract between the city and the Cleveland County YMCA will end next year. Kings Mountain used to spend about $400,000 on recre- ation before it started an agreement with the Y and Murphrey said it has been a good situation. “It expanded so many of the programs it was really a win situation for the YMCA and the city,” he said. See YMCA, 3A Transit service begins Friday Transit service will begin ps in Kings Mountain Friday, June 7 at 8 a.m. Vans will run scheduled routes between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; except holidays. Routes begin and end at the H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and Conference Center on East King Street, and there are 24 stops along the route. Stops are clearly marked with red and white bus stop signs posted along city streets. ; Swe SRC LEG Stops (in order) are at the | Chad Johnson of the City Senior Center, Battle Forest Street Department installs Apartments, YMCA, one of the 24 signs for the Taylor and Brigadier General Charlie Carpenter, left, and George Cicerano both fought in Normandy inva- See Carpenter, 3A sion on June 6, 1944 but didn’t meet until last week at Cicerano’s home in Kings Mountain Linwood Drive at Cleveland new city transit system Ave., Fairview Dr. at N. which begins operation Friday morning. Surviving cancer not luck; it's about faith and family See Transit, 5A RELAY FOR LIFE Cancer fund raiser Friday, Saturday at Walking Track By BEN LEDBETTER After having a mastectomy By BEN LEDBETTER “We thought we needed Staff Writer and radiation treatments, she Staff Writer to do that,” relay organizer headed back to more of the Joyce Roark said. Cathy Powell is a cancer Survivor. But she doesn’t give luck credit for it, but a variety of things including faith, family and friends. Powell's breast cancer diag- nosis on Christmas Eve of 1999 was unexpected and uninvited, like many cases. Her husband Don was aware of it before she was. That Christmas, along with the gift giving, Powell was telling family and friends {| routine things in her life. “Everything was difficult {| because the severity of the treatments,” she said. “I was in bed a lot.” During that time, Don took time off from his job and spent every day for nine | months with Cathy. : { That helped her get through § the difficult time, she said. She would get up some days during the morning or early afternoon and would want to read. about her diagnosis. FIRST NATIONAL BANK Celebrating 128 Years CATHY POWELL See People, 5A Kings Mountain 300 W. Mountain St. 704-739-4782 The Joseph R. Smith Relay for Life will he held this weekend, starting Friday at 6 p.m. at the Cleveland Ave. Walking Track. And while the event was named after Smith, this year it will be dedicated to some- one else who has been asso- ciated with the relay. That person is Sylvia Millwood, who recently died of a stroke. She was a member of the survivors’ committee and had organ- ized the dinner. Gastonia 529 New Hope Road 704-865-1233 SYLVIA MILLWOOD Shelby 106 S. Lafayette St. 704-484-6200 One of Millwood’s ideas was to have a relay king and queen and the winners will lead the survivor's lap Friday. With other preparations being finished, Roark said the relay has raised approxi- mately $28,000 now. Last year, the Kings Mountain relay amassed $71,823.44. The relay currently has 32 teams and Roark said they will be focusing on getting more people involve instead See Relay, 2A Bessemer City 1225 Gastonia Hwy. 704-629-3906 Member FDIC
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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June 6, 2002, edition 1
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