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KINGS MOUNTAIN
The Herald
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Vol. 118 No. 40
Since 1889
50 Cents
Sports...
Mountaineers
lose to
East Gaston,
Hope
Christian falls
to Asheville
School
HOMEFRONT
‘Darling’ Dillards of
Andy Griffith Show to
perform at Gateway
The Dillards, known by many
as the quiet, yet musical Darling
Boys from the Andy Griffith
Show, will be pickin’ and a grin-
nin’ at this year’s Gateway
Festival in downtown Kings
Mountain on Saturday, October
14. The festival will run from 10
am-5 pm with a free shuttle,
traveling to and from down-
town, the Kings Mountain Arts
Depot and the Kings Mountain
Historical Museum Commons
(behind the museum). An old
historic log house will be open
for viewing at the Museum
Commons during the festival.
Other musicians and bands
will also be performing, includ-
ing the contemporary Celtic
band, The Merrows. Arts and
crafts vendors along with
Revolutionary War re-enactors,
and storytellers will enhance the
ambience of the Gateway
Festival. The food, entertainment
and friendly atmosphere will
complete it.
For moire information contact
Ellis Noell, Director of Special
Events at 704-730-2103 or e-mail
ellisn@cityofkm.com.
Shriners barbecue
Saturday on E. Gold
to benefit children
The White Plains Shrine Club
will host its annual barbecue
Saturday, Oct. 7 beginning at 10
a.m. at the corner of York Road
and Gold St.
Pork and chicken is available.
Proceeds go to Shrine Hospitals.
Tickets are available from any
member of the White Plains
Shrine Club or at City Auto &
Truck Parts.
RADAR WATCH
Kings Mountain Police will be
running radar October 8-14 at the
following locations:
Sunday, Oct. 8 - Gold St.
Monday, Oct. 9 - Ridge St.
Tuesday, Oct. 10 - NC 161.
Wednesday, Oct. 11 - NC 216.
Thursday, Oct.12 - Margrace
Rd.
Friday, Oct. 13 - Northwoods
Dr.
Saturday, Oct. 14 - Linwood
Rd.
*Police also run radar every
day on I-85 and U.S. Bypass 74.
DEATHS
Clyde Horton
Robert Merritt
Edward Detter, 67 Page 3A
E——
Classified 5B Deaths 3A
Lifestyles 5A Opinion 4A
Sports 1B
This week’s advertising sections:
Food Lion
CVS/Pharmacy
Advance Auto Parts
To advertise or subscribe
call 704-739-7496
News tips and information
call 704-739-7496
fax 704-739-0611
Office location:
824-1 East King St.
505th to be welcomed home
Sunday at KMHS celebration
eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com
The public is invited to celebrate the
505th’s return from Iraq on Sunday,
October 8, in John Gamble Stadium at
Kings Mountain High School at 3 pm. A
convoy escorting soldiers is speculated
to roll through town on Friday, October
6, and while the exact time and date is
still unofficial, citizens are encouraged to
keep their eyes and ears peeled.
A lot of flag-waving and speech-mak-
ing will fill the celebration, which is free
and open to the public. NC National
- in Kings Mountain.
NEAT TRIM
Guard SFC Gregory Thompson said that
he is heading up the event for his “com-
rades in arms.”
“They deserve a hero’s welcome and I
hope that everyone will come out and
give them a hero’s welcome,” he said.
Everyone in the community is encour-
aged to attend and welcome home these
brave men and women who sacrificed a
year of their life for their country and
their city. Sgt. Donald Olan Martin, of
Kings Mountain, sacrificed more than a
year. He was deployed to Iraq with the
505th Company C in 2004. Scheduled to
return in 2005, he changed his mind and
opted to stay once he heard that some of
his buddies in Company B Engineering
Battalion were being deployed to Iraq.
Being gone for two years, his wife and
family are more than anxious for his
return. He flew into Fort Bragg last week
and is expected home before the ceremo-
ny on Sunday.
“Some of the soldiers in Bravo
Company (Company B) are already
home,” Thompson said. Those that
aren’t, will be coming in on motor coach-
es from Fort Bragg soon, he added. The
soldiers started flying in to Fort Bragg in
different stages last week. They had to
stay thére for a few days to complete
their demobilization process. Thompson
said that the entire Bravo Company will
be coming in to celebrate in Kings
Mountain on Sunday, with the exception
of four soldiers, who have to stay behind
and take care of the equipment. The
entire company includes soldiers from
Kings Mountain, Grover, Shelby, Forest
City, Gastonia and other near-by towns.
Mayor Rick Murphrey will be speak-
ing at the Sunday celebration, but
Special Events Director Ellis Noell said
that the function will be the National
See Guard, 2A
JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Ralph Champion, groundskeeper, cuts grass Tuesday afternoon at Mountain Rest Cemetery
Kings Mountain, a 60-foot
ridge rising in the gentle farm-
lands of South Carolina, looms
especially large Saturday as hun-
dreds of people converge at the
Kings Mountain landmark for
the 226th anniversary of the
Revolutionary War Battle of
Kings Mountain.
Speeches, reenactments and a
wreath-laying ceremony at the
U. S. Monument will be part of
the weekend activities.
Kings Mountain National Park
Superintendent Erin Broadbent
said that longtime former legis-
lator Jim Broyhill of Lenoir will
make the keynote address at 3
p.m. at the Park amphitheater.
The wreath-laying ceremony
will be held at 11 am. and
wreaths will be presented by
Chapters of the Sons of the
American Revolution, Sons of
the Revolution, Daughters of the
American Revolution and
Children of the American
Revolution from across the
southeast.
On Saturday, October 7 and
Sunday, October 8, the Guilford
Militia and the park’s volunteer
group, the Back Country Militia,
will recreate the activities of an
18th century military encamp-
ment as part of the anniversary
commemoration. The encamp-
By
POINT OF D
Sidney Dixon shot down plane four-tenths of a second before it hit ship
226th anniversary
celebration Saturday
‘at KM Military Park
ment will feature military drills
along with musket and rifle fir-
ing. The group will perform
other camp activities such as
cooking, bullet and button mold-
ing and candle making.
As with today’s National
Guard and other military reserve
units, civilian males were mus-
tered several times a year to be
trained as a military unit. These
musters were necessary because
the militia lacked discipline and
needed a standard drill before
joining the Continental forces as
they did in such battles as
Cowpens and Guilford
Courthouse. However, in most
cases, these rugged individuals
were at their best when skir-
mishing on their own, as was the
case at the Battle of Kings
Mountain where a group of
patriot militia defeated a better
trained loyalist force under
Major Patrick Ferguson. There
are no admission fees to any of
the events. The public is invited
and encouraged to attend.
Broyhill served in the U. S.
House of Representatives for 23
1/2 years from 1963 to July 1986.
On July 1, 1976, Governor
Martin appointed him to the U.
S. Senate to fill a vacancy caused
by the death of the late Senator
John East.
ELIZABETH STEWART
| Herald Correspondent
The memories of his six year stint
in the Navy are still vivid after more
than 60 years for World War II veter-
an Sidney Roy Dixon.
The Kings Mountain sailor volun-
teered at age 20 in July 1942 and
served six years until July 1948..
Originally he planned a career in
the military but his last 17 months
service duty on Guam changed his
mind.
“If Hell is any worse than Guam,
you sure don’t want to go,” Dixon
said. He spent four War years in the
Pacific in nine of 13 major engage-
ments as a gunner’s mate aboard the
warship U.S.S. Montpelier.
Beginning at Guadalcanal in the
British Solomon Islands, he took
part in the bombardments in the
Mariana islands, Saipan, Tinian,
Guam and Okinawa.
“Point of Death” is how Dixon
(S.R. to his Navy buddies)
described a‘ 1944 attack of The
Montpelier in the Philippines. A
Japanese plane traveling 400 m.p.h.
was headed at his gun station
loaded with dynamite about 200-400
feet away from the ship. Captain of
the gun crew, Dixon fired fourth-
tenths of a second before the plane
hit the ship blowing up the plane
which scattered a wing and wheel of
the enemy plane and remains of the
body of the pilot on the USA cruiser.
Dixon was on board when the U.S.S.
Montpelier was commissioned
Sept.3, 1942 and at the ship's retire-
ment in late 1946.
Dixon wishes atomic and nuclear
bomb research had ended with
World War II. He said he realized
when he stood at Hiroshima 35 days
See Dixon, 2A
rs