Goodbye Earl Snypes, a true hero

Fred McCormick
Columnist
The Valley Echo
September 2, 2021

Earl and Carolyn Snypes sit together in the sanctuary at Mountain View Church, June 1, when the Consul General of France in Atlanta presented Earl with a Legion of Honor medal on behalf of the President of France. Earl, a World War II Veteran and Buncombe County native who lived in Ridgecrest for seven decades, passed away in August at the age of 96. Photo by Fred McCormick

I am always happy to meet people as I travel around the Swannanoa Valley covering local news, but I felt an incredible sense of honor the first time I met Earl Snypes. It was a beautiful fall afternoon in 2018, and I was sitting down to talk to him and his wife Carolyn, just days after the couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. 

What unfolded over the next hour was a story that kept me on the edge of my seat, and brought tears to my eyes more than once. It was, to me, a tale of uncommon bravery, somber reflection, unimaginable fear and, most importantly, love. 

Earl’s story began in the Bald Mountain community of Buncombe County in 1925, and shifted a few years later to Nebo, where he grew up. It moved quickly to 1944, when the 19-year-old was drafted into the U.S. Army at the height of World War II. I vividly remember trying to maintain focus while my mind attempted to imagine myself in the same situation at that age—a thought that has since been impossible for me to fully comprehend. 

The veteran recalled memories of his time in the European Theatre of the war in incredible detail, including a particularly harrowing tale of an enemy attack that forced him to scramble for cover before taking the lives of two nearby soldiers. His voice would trail off, occasionally, as the terrifying experiences replayed in his mind. 

The more Earl spoke, and I attempted to process the vivid images he was painting with his words, it slowly occurred to me that he was also providing an inside perspective of some of history’s bloodiest and most significant battles. As he witnessed many of his fellow soldiers fall around him, a young Earl couldn’t be sure he would return home.

He was candid about the fear he felt as mortars smashed through windows around him during the Battle of the Bulge, where Allied troops repelled Nazi forces, as they launched their final major offensive of the war. Earl also recalled his experiences watching parts of the Nuremberg trials, where his 26th Infantry Regiment stood guard. 

His tone was subdued while he revisited those memories of war, but a bright smile came to his face when he talked about returning to his native Buncombe County in the spring of 1946. It was there, in Ridgecrest, he first saw a young Carolyn swinging on a porch. He knew immediately that he would marry her one day, he said, as his smile turned into a chuckle. 

Both Earl and Carolyn told me, right there in the living room of the charming home they shared for seven decades, they believed God delivered the young soldier through the horrors of war so they could be together. Witnessing their love and affection for each other after 70 years of marriage convinced me they were right. 

That afternoon, I learned Earl hadn’t spoken to anyone about his experiences in World War II for decades, until he began sharing those stories with his loving and supportive wife Carolyn in recent years.

I saw Earl several more times in the years following that interview. He was seated on a local panel that spoke at a 2019 Veterans Day event, organized by Black Mountain Veterans, that coincided with the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. His stories were somehow even more powerful that evening than the first time I heard them, and his wife was right by his side as he shared them. 

Earl was the Grand Marshal of the 2019 Black Mountain Christmas Parade, and at the age of 94, he looked every bit the part of a hero to me, as he waved to the crowds along State Street. 

The last time I saw Earl was in June, when he stood proudly as he received the Legion of Honor designation from the Consul General of France in Atlanta, on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron. The medal represents the country’s highest level of merit, and was pinned to the lapel of the man who fought valiantly to liberate France and its neighboring European nations. It was to join the numerous decorations, including three Bronze Stars, awarded to the veteran for his heroic service.

The ceremony was held in the Mountain View Church, where the Snypes were longtime members., and I was once again honored to be in the presence of a man who risked so much to save the world from incredible evil. 

A private funeral for Earl Snypes, a decorated World War II Veteran who passed away, Aug. 22, at the age of 96, was held at the WNC State Veterans Cemetery. Photo courtesy of Bill Hodge

Earl passed away in his Ridgecrest home at the age of 96, Aug. 22, and a private military service was held for him as he was laid to rest at the WNC State Veterans Cemetery. Anyone who wishes to honor Earl’s memory is asked to support the Wounded Warrior Project at woundedwarriorproject.org.

I was saddened to learn that Earl passed, and my thoughts immediately went to his wife, two children and the grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchild he leaves behind, as they cope with the loss of the remarkable man they love so much.

I am grateful to have met Earl, and still touched that he and Carolyn invited me into their home to share their incredible story with me.

Many people in the Swannanoa Valley have been gracious enough to open up to me over the years, but I will never forget the immense gratitude and respect that came over me as I sat down with Earl Snypes and realized the kind, thoughtful man seated directly across from me was a true hero.