As will no doubt be said countless times tomorrow, in speeches, editorials and sermons all across the country, all Americans owe their veterans a tremendous debt of gratitude. A group of citizens in Talladega is making an effort to show some of that gratitude and honor all of Talladega’s County’s war-time veterans by enshrining them in a Hall of Heroes in the recently built addition to the Talladega Public Library.
The idea to put a Hall of Heroes in Talladega began with Bobby Trammell after she saw a similar display in Branson, Mo.
"I had just gone to the library one day, I can’t remember why, and (Librarian) David (Farrar) showed me the blueprints for the addition. He said the hallway wasn’t big enough to put book shelves on, and he couldn’t figure out what to do with it. I told him about what I had seen in Branson, and he asked me to pull it together."
Trammell said she ran into Frank Hubbard shortly there after and got him involved, and Doug Hill and Elaine and Carl Stratton started working on the project as well.
"Now we’ve got a committee of about 10 people who are just really dedicated to this project," she said. "I think it just came together because this is something we’re all really passionate about. We don’t give our veterans what they deserve, and there’s no way to repay them. This is the least we could do. It really is a worthy project."
Trammell’s own family will be prominently featured. Her husband and all three of her brothers served in the Pacific theater during World War II.
One of those brothers, Sgt. John Alvin Baker, U.S. Army, made the ultimate sacrifice.
"He was killed by a sniper in Mindanao on June 1, 1945," she said. "He was standing around with a whole lot of other boys from here who all left together. He was the only one that got shot, so we always thought it was probably a sniper that got him."
Mindanao was the last Japanese hold-out in the Philippines, resisting for nearly seven months after the fall of Manila in January. Mindanao was finally recaptured by allied forces in late June 1945, about the same time the battle of Okinawa was ending. These would be the last major battles of the war.
Trammell’s other two brothers both served in the Navy, while her husband was also in the Army.
The displays will cover a wide range of heroes, however. The oldest picture submitted so far came from a member of the Dixon family, from the great-great grandson of a soldier who fought with General Longstreet during the Civil War to Stephen J. White, who was killed in action in Iraq in January of this year. More than 110 photographs and bios have been submitted to date, with more coming in every day.
"We really want to make this something the whole county can be proud of," she said. "We’re especially hoping to get some more from Sylacauga, Childersburg and Munford," which are currently underrepresented.
The hall itself will consist of rows of display cases featuring photographs of any and all Talladega County veterans who served during war-time. The photos will be on red suede matte, with a brass nameplate under each. Biographical information on each hero will be filed in the adjacent genealogy room.
Trammell said she picks up the pictures at the library and a post office box as they come in, gets them to Hill, who scans and crops, and committee member Calvin McRae gets the name plate made.
"It’s a very informal committee, we don’t really have any kind of structure," Trammell explained. "We just try to pick people who do something well, and let them do what they do. Elaine Stratton decided she would be our secretary, and she takes down what we do at every meeting. Judy Royal is our treasurer, and it helps having her serve on the Library Board, too."
A dedication ceremony set for July 4 didn’t work out, so Trammell said they are now shooting for Veterans Day.
"I’ve already talked to Sen. Richard Shelby, and he’s said he’ll be there," Trammell said. "This has been a really interesting project for us."
