The first member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to receive the Medal of Honor. The first African American commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. The “Father of the Airborne.” The chief of the Army Nurse Corps from 1987-1991.
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All of these veterans have ties to North Carolina.
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Memorial Day is all about honoring soldiers who have died serving the United States. But it’s important not to forget the country’s veterans.
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This interactive graphic focuses on female veterans
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Using data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, McClatchy’s data visualization team created an interactive graphic highlighting the number of female veterans per 1,000 women in each county across the country.
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Here’s the data for Triangle counties:
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- Wake County: 12.53
- Durham County: 13.99
- Johnston County: 17.21
- Orange County: 10.93
- Chatham County: 18.67
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In Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, there are 12.65 female veterans per 1,000 women.
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Notable veterans from North Carolina
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North Carolina is home to many veterans who have earned top awards, risen to high ranks and broken barriers. According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website, 30 people born in North Carolina have received the award, the country’s highest award for military valor in action.
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Learn more about some notable veterans from the state:
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Charles George, born in Cherokee in 1932, was the first member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to receive the Medal of Honor. According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, George died in 1952 in Korea, after he threw himself on a grenade to absorb the blast of the explosion and save his fellow soldiers.
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Clara Adams-Ender was an officer in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps from 1961-1993, earning the rank of brigadier general in 1987, according to the Women Veterans Historical Project at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The Willow Spring native, who was born in 1939, was also chief of the Army Nurse Corps from 1987-1991. She retired in 1993 as the commanding general of Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
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William McBryar served in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars, Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War, according to the North Carolina Museum of History. The Elizabethtown native was the second African American soldier from North Carolina to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
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William C. Lee, born in Dunn, served as a U.S. Army platoon and company commander in France during World War I, according to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. He attended Wake Forest College and North Carolina State College. In 1940, Lee was placed in charge of a test platoon of paratroopers. Two years later, he was the colonel commanding the Airborne Command Headquarters and later received command of the 101st Division. He’s known as the “Father of the Airborne,” and a museum dedicated to him is located in his hometown of Dunn.
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Mildred Inez Caroon Bailey, who died in 2009, joined the Women’s Army Corps during World War II, according to the Women Veterans Historical Project. After the war, she remained in the army, stationed in different parts of the U.S. and Germany. Bailey became the director of the Women’s Army Corps in 1970, keeping the position until her retirement in 1975.
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Frederick C. Branch, who was born in Hamlet, was the first African American commissioned officer in the Marine Corps, according to the U.S. Marine Corps website. He trained at Montford Point, a base in Jacksonville near Camp Lejeune where all African Americans participated in basic training during the 1940s. Following the end of World War II, Branch entered the Marine Corps Reserves until the Korean War, when he again was called to active duty. Branch died in 2005 at age 82, and the Marine Corps named a building, Branch Hall, after him.
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Dorothy B. Austell, from Charlotte, was in the U.S. Army Women’s Army Corps during World War II, according to the Women Veterans Historical Project. Austell, who died in 2009, worked with the Office of Strategic Services, performing undercover intelligence work.
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Francis M. Hooper Jr. trained at Montford Point Camp, according to the North Carolina Museum of History. He worked with Japanese police interpreters during the Korean War and learned how to write and speak fluently in Japanese. ABC affiliate WWAY reported that Hooper has received a Congressional Gold Medal, National Montford Point Marine Hall of Fame medal and The Marine Medal of Honor.
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Westray Battle Boyce, of Rocky Mount, was a member of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and the Women’s Army Corps in the 1940s, according to the Women Veterans Historical Project. She received the U.S. Army’s Legion of Merit and was honored for her services on the staff of General Eisenhower was the Women’s Army Corps Director for the North African Theater of Operations from August 1943-August 1944.
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