Remembering My WWII Veteran Friend, Hasell Barton: A True Story

Yesterday was Veteran's Day.  Veteran's Day is one of the holidays I have to work, so I didn't feel much like celebrating other than acknowledging how thankful I am for our Veterans on Facebook.  This morning, however, I have time to think, and I am remembering my dear WWII Veteran friend, Hasell Barton.  May he rest in peace.

About three years after I moved to Charleston, SC in 1995, I was out one weekend listening to the live piano music in the Lobby Lounge at the Charleston Place Hotel downtown, and someone introduced me to Hasell Barton.

Seating was limited in the lounge that night and I was taking up a whole table by myself, so Hasell invited me to sit with him and his friend, Tom.  They were such good company!  We talked and talked and ended up sitting together for live music many nights over the next decade or so.

Hasell was my mother's age and full of interesting stories.  He served in the Air Force in WWII, and spent most of his World War II years in France.  I remember how much Hasell enjoyed Veterans Day. 

On Veterans Day evenings Hasell would wear his WWII Air Force uniform downtown and people would buy him free drinks all night long. They'd slap him on the back and laugh and everyone would tell war stories. Oftentimes the more colorful stories were spoken in French with a wink and a whispered "mademoiselle" or a laughing "oh là là!" towards the end of the evening, and they'd all end up singing their favorite 1940s songs as the night grew old. 

We'd be at a big table full of men and women by then.  Such fun!  I loved hanging around Hasell on Veterans Day.  You'd meet the most interesting characters. 

Hasell lived down on Queen Street near the Footlight Players Theater in one of those big beautiful historic houses with his beloved cat. He did a lot of different types of work in his lifetime, but his soul was that of an artist.  He loved to draw and paint.  Two of his framed prints hang in my house today.  I love his art.

As Hasell grew older, he'd go to listen to live music at the Best Friends Lounge in the Mills House Hotel instead of in the Lobby Lounge at Charleston Place Hotel.  The Best Friends Lounge was much closer to his house and an easier walk for him.  They kept a table right up front reserved for him every night.  Many nights I joined him there and we had the best time listening to the music and talking about old times with old friends and new.

Yes.  We all miss Hasell.  By the time he reached his 90s, his health forced him to move to North Carolina closer to family who could care for him.  He passed away in 2011.  I will always remember him as he was in the photo below.  Standing in the old and wonderful Charleston Place Hotel Lobby Lounge with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.

Rest in peace, Hasell Barton.  I just know you celebrated Veterans Day up in Heaven last night. Jusqu'à ce que nous nous reverrons.

Hasell Barton in the old Lobby Lounge at the Charleston Place Hotel - Late 1990s

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Hasell Barton Obituary

1917 - 2011

Hasell W. Barton, 93, died on Monday, January 10, 2011 at Brighton Gardens, after several years of declining health. Funeral services will be held at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Greensboro at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 13, 2011. Lunch will follow in the Haywood Duke Room at the church. A private burial will be held on Friday, January 14 at All Saints Episcopal Church, Pawleys Island, SC.

Born in Hartwell, GA, he was the son of Dr. David J. and Harriet C. Barton. He was a graduate of Anderson Boys High School and earned a diploma in accounting from LaSalle Institute of Chicago.

Hasell served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II as an ordinance officer in the 409th Bomb Group in England, France, and Belgium, attaining the rank of Captain. At war's end, he became treasurer of C.M. Guest and Sons Construction Company in Anderson, SC, where he was active in civic and church affairs, including chair of the Red Cross chapter and Deacon and president of the Men's Bible Class at First Presbyterian Church. He was also an amateur radio enthusiast.

In 1961 the Barton family moved to Greensboro, NC, where Hasell became president of Romeo Guest Associates. In 1971 Hasell formed Barton Construction Company at Pawleys Island, SC, where he joined All Saints Episcopal Church. After being widowed in 1977, he divided his time between Pawleys Island and Charleston, SC. He retired to Charleston in 1987, joining St. Phillips Episcopal Church. In Charleston he was treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the Footlight Players community theater and a member of the French Society (l'Alliance Francaise) and the Saint Cecilia Society. He was a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow. His lifetime love of Charleston and knowledge of Charleston history resulted in his becoming a volunteer guide for tourists. He studied watercolor painting in Charleston and in France, and became an accomplished artist. Hasell moved to Brighton Gardens Assisted Living in Greensboro in August of 2009.

Hasell was predeceased by his wife Myra Ashley Barton in 1977. He is survived by son Jon Hasell Barton, Sr. (Jan) and daughters Jane Barton Stott (Drayton) and Betsy Barton Dunn (Russ), both of Greensboro, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorials contributions may be made to St. Phillips Episcopal Church, 142 Church St, Charleston, SC 29401 or to the Guilford County Animal Shelter 4525 W. Wendover Ave., Greensboro, NC 27409. 

My Ancestor, William Humphries, a Patriot, Wounded at the Battle of Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780

Yesterday I told you that my sons and granddaughters are direct descendants of Col. Frederick Hambright, who fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain. 

Today, I am going to tell you about my ancestor who fought and was wounded in that same battle, so my sons and granddaughters are direct descendants of more than one Patriot who fought and was wounded in that battle.

My ancestor is not famous like Col. Frederick Hambright.  He was not a commander.  He was just a soldier fighting to protect his home, family, and way of life.  He was an honorable man. 

Most of us born and raised in and around Blacksburg, SC and/or Kings Mountain, NC probably have more than one ancestor who fought in that battle...just a matter of tracing the ancestry and making the connection.

I am a direct descendant of William Humphries, who fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Here are the generations  from William Humphries to me. Some further  information follows:

• William Humphries (1750-1827) - Marianne Walker
• Samuel Humphries (1781-1849) - Nancy McCraw (1772-1850)
• Sylvester "Cill" Humphries (1830-1864) - Margaret Lemmons (1832- )
• John T Humphries (1851-1928) - Adalissa "Lissie" Lemmons Humphries (1853-1943)
• Janie Susan Humphries Batchelor (1891 - 1956) - Dawson Marcus Batchelor (1892-1927)
• Ruby Batchelor H. Batchelor (1917-2005) - Thomas R. Batchelor (1900-1962)
• Alice J. Batchelor Hambright (1955- )

William Humphries was born in Virginia about 1750 and died May 30, 1827. At some point in his life he migrated from Virginia to settle in Cleveland County, N.C. 

His war records describe his service in the Revolutionary War, and show that he served at different times under Colonels Campbell and James Williams in the South Carolina troops and was brigade quartermaster in General Sumter's brigade. The records also show that he was wounded at the Battle of Kings Mountain by a ball passing through his thigh.*

He served two years as a Patriot and was pensioned under claim No. W4000 (The number was partially illegible.  W4000 may be incorrect.)*

The site of his old residence is about one-fourth mile North of the North and South Carolina state line.  He was buried about one hundred yards west of the old home place, his grave being marked by a stone furnished by the War Department for Revolutionary War soldiers.  His grave and stone are no longer there though.  Please see below for why and where.

William Humphries was married twice. First to Marianne Walker, who was the mother of his son, John Humphries, born in 1768.

William Humphries' second wife was Francis Sarratt. 

Names of the known children of William Humphries are:

          (1) John
          (2) William II
          (3) Samuel
          (4) Jesse
          (5) David
          (6) Margaret
          (7) Francis
          (8) Susannah
          (9) Anderson
         (10) Jane

There is some discussion about which wife had which children.  Some records show Marianne as mother to the first five children and Francis the rest, but some records show Marianne as mother to the first eight children and Francis the last two, so I'm just listing the names of the children for you. 

I do know that Samuel, my ancestor, was Marianne's son.

William Humphries' Headstone Camps Creek Baptist Church, Cleveland County, NC
William Humphries' headstone is presently at Camps Creek Baptist Church in Mooresboro, Cleveland County, North Carolina. However, his remains are not there. They are still located at his home place, unmarked.

After William's home was sold the new owner plowed under the graves and discarded the tombstones in a ditch where members of the Humphries family found them and placed his headstone and his son William Jr.'s headstone side by side at Camps Creek Baptist Church.  May they rest in peace.

*Reference: "History of First Humphries Family Settling in No. 1 Township, Cleveland County, North Carolina" by J.C. Coleman Humphries

Operation Sea Dragon, USS Keppler, Vietnam, and My Brother, Gene - 1966-67

All three of my brothers were US Navy during the Vietnam War years, but this morning I'm remembering my tall,  red-headed, freckled-face, mischief-making brother, Gene, who was next to me in sibling order, and whom I miss so very very very much.

Gene Wayne Batchelor

My brother, Gene, always loved me...just as I am.  That is a rare and wonderful thing.  We had many adventures together over the decades, but today I'm remembering an adventure he had without me.

I'm glad I wasn't there.

Back in late 1966 and early 1967 Gene was a Gunner's Mate aboard the USS Keppler, a Gearing-class US Navy destroyer, whose assignment at the time was "Operation Sea Dragon."

USS Keppler

Operation Sea Dragon's mission, as I understand it, was basically to help keep North Vietnamese men and weapons out of South Vietnam.  They were on patrol, and they saw action.

The following is recorded in the USS Keppler's deck logs:

• December 6, 1966 the USS Keppler: 
• anchored on gunfire support station near Trung Phan, South Vietnam, maneuvered as necessary to maintain anchorage while firing at targets ashore.
•  December 7, 1966 the USS Keppler: 
• anchored in Da Nang harbor. 
• anchored off the Song Dua Dai River
• December 8, 1966 the USS Keppler:
•  anchored in Da Nang bay.
• December 11, 1966 the USS Keppler:
• rescued a downed pilot off the eastern coast of North Vietnam.
•  January 29-30, 1967 the USS Keppler:
• patrolled in the vicinity of the Song Giang river
•  January 31 to February 2, 1967 the USS Keppler:
• patrolled in the vicinity of the Kien Giang River 

During these patrols in January and February 1967, the USS Keppler destroyed or damaged 51 communist junks (A junk is a seagoing ship with a traditional Chinese design of square sails spread by battens, a high stern, and usually a flat bottom.).
 
The destroyer also frequently engaged enemy batteries on shore, and on March 11, 1967 a communist gun scored a hit on the USS Keppler's gun mount that was my brother, Gene's regular post.  Six crewmen were wounded.

The USS Keppler suffered a hit March 11, 1967.

Gene's shift had ended not long before the hit.  Gene's friend whose turn it was at the post was badly wounded.

Gene's body may have escaped that post without a scratch that day, but his mind, his heart, perhaps his very soul, were never the same.  He told me many times, "It should have been me who took that hit." 

That was never true, of course, Gene's shift was over.  It was not his fault his friend was hit. It was irrational of him to think otherwise, but Gene was 18 years old at the time and life had just shown him that he and his friends were not invincible.  The battleship could not protect them. The big guns could not protect them. Their lives were really and truly at risk.  

It was real.

Gene served his country in the US Navy until 1972.  After his honorable discharge from that service, he came home and tried to live a normal life, but he was never again the happy-go-lucky boy who went to war when he was 18.   

Gene ended up wandering from place to place for many years.  Never quite satisfied.  Never quite able to escape the demons that haunted him.  The silent screams of those men on those 51 communist junks were relentless.  He could never shake them. 

Vietnam was like that. 

No hero's welcome back to the states for the Vietnam vets.  Those sailors and soldiers and airmen and marines returned home to disrespect in all its various ugly forms.  They paid a very high price for their military service, and the carrying of that kind of stress shortened many of their lives. 

Gene died of a major heart attack in 2002 when he was 53 years old.  We and the US Navy carried out his final wishes. 

Gene's ashes were scattered at sea with full honors and a 21 gun salute by the US Navy from the USS McInerney, a guided-missle frigate, on July 1, 2003 at 27-47.6's6 LAT 072-46.8'w7 LON, Time 1030R.

May he rest in peace.