The Korean Conflict, 1950-1953
When North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, the United States sponsored a “police action”—a war in all but name—under the auspices of the United Nations. The Department of State coordinated U.S. strategic decisions with 16 other countries, contributing troops to the fighting.
The Cleveland County Veterans Council erected this monument on the north side of the Cleveland County Court Square to honor the memory of the 14 Cleveland County men who died while serving during the Korean Conflict: Claude Allen, Elmer G. Allen, Arthur Berry, Jr., Wilford G. Godfrey, Rufus Huffstickler, Dan B. Lail, Harvey Lawson, Miles E. McCraw, Thomas H. McKinley, Stacey A. Mullinax, Billy Owen, Vernon D. Stallings, Logan C. Weathers, and Ralph Whetstine.
The Vietnam Conflict, 1954-1975
The United States entered Vietnam in 1955 with the principal purpose of preventing a communist takeover of the region. The war ended 30 April, 1975.
The monument (above) honors the memory of the 23 Cleveland County men who died while serving during the Vietnam Conflict: Donnie Ray Anderson, James Harold Brittain, Christopher Eugene Brooks, Jerry Donald Carter, Roy Benjamin Cochran, Robert Larry Dellinger, Earnest Franklin Elders, Larry Wayne Ellis, Charlie Melvin Ellison, Michael Allen Graham, Donald Ralph Hamrick, James Hopper, Jr., Wayne Roger Hoyle, Dudley Carroll Hughes, Joe Louis Lockhart McGill, Jimmy Keith Morrison, Sammy Ray Morrison, Ronald Ernest Mullinax, James Clifford Pearson, Gregory Wayne Thomas, McClure Thackerson, Harold Hugh Welch.
Persian Gulf War/Kuwait, 1990-1991
The U.S. went to war in Iraq in 1991 (the Persian Gulf War) because Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded and occupied neighboring Kuwait in August 1990, defying international demands to withdraw. This invasion threatened global oil supplies and regional stability, prompting a U.S.-led coalition of 35 nations to launch “Operation Desert Storm” (Jan-Feb 1991) to liberate Kuwait and restore its sovereignty.
Afghanistan War, 2001-2021
The U.S. went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to dismantle al-Qaeda and punish the Taliban regime for harboring them. The Taliban refused President Bush’s demand to hand over al-Qaeda leaders like Osama bin Laden, leading to “Operation Enduring Freedom” to eliminate the terrorist threat and remove the Taliban from power, preventing Afghanistan from being a terrorist safe haven.
Fallen Service Members from Cleveland County
- Staff Sgt. Christopher R. Newman, 26, of Shelby, North Carolina, died on October 29, 2011, in Kabul province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when a suicide-borne improvised explosive device struck his vehicle. He was a Crest High School graduate and a mental health specialist in the U.S. Army and was laid to rest at Cleveland Memorial Park in Shelby.
- Spc. James A. Justice, 21, of Grover, North Carolina, died on August 16, 2012, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany from combat injuries suffered on August 14 by enemy small-arms fire in the Wardak province of Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, and is noted in historical casualty analyses as a milestone U.S. combat fatality in the war. He was buried with full military honors at Mountain Rest Cemetery in Kings Mountain.
Iraq War, 2003-2011
The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 primarily to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime, based on claims he possessed “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (WMDs) and had links to terrorism (specifically al-Qaeda), though these claims proved false after the invasion, which also aimed to bring democracy and stability to Iraq. The Bush administration framed the invasion as part of the broader War on Terror, post-9/11, asserting Iraq posed an imminent threat, despite UN inspectors finding no active WMD programs.
Fallen Service Members from Cleveland County
Marine Corporal Christopher S. Ebert, age 21, of Mooresboro, was killed on September 17, 2004. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton, CA, Ebert was killed by enemy action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Cpl. Ebert had previously survived intense block-to-block combat during the initial U.S. military siege of Fallujah in April 2004 and was just weeks away from finishing his deployment when he was killed.
