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News Release Date: ATLANTA — Today, National Park Service (NPS) South Atlantic-Gulf Regional Director Stan Austin announced the selection of Diana Bramble as the new superintendent of South Carolina’s Cowpens National Battlefield and Kings Mountain National Military Park, effective March 14. In her role, Bramble will also oversee management of Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail and Ninety Six National Historic Site. Bramble has managed the four units on temporary assignment since September.

“Diana brings experience caring for iconic landmarks with complex operations and stories critical to America’s advancement as a democratic society,” Austin said. “As we prepare to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, Diana is wholly committed to protecting the parks’ treasured resources and enhancing collaboration with staff, visitors, partners and gateway communities.”

Bramble said, “I am incredibly grateful to have been selected for this opportunity. The staff here are profoundly dedicated to their work as caretakers of America’s heritage. It is an honor to help lead the park as a team towards an exciting future with many opportunities for partnership and engagement in anticipation of the 250th commemoration of America’s founding.”

Bramble began her NPS career in 2011 as the supervisory horticulturist for Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. with responsibility for horticulture, arboriculture and grounds management. Four years later, she became chief of maintenance at National Capital Parks-East, where she has managed the entire facility operations and project management portfolio for a vast set of resources spanning 8,000 acres, including historic homes, commuter parkways, earthen and masonry fortifications, working farms, marinas and a campground. Prior to joining NPS, Bramble worked six years at the Smithsonian Institution as a horticulturist.

Originally from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Bramble holds a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources from University of Maryland and a Master of Professional Studies in sustainable landscape design from George Washington University. She is a graduate of the NPS Facility Manager Leaders Program and now serves as a program mentor. In 2019, Bramble was awarded the NPS National Capital Area Facility Manager of the Year honor.

Outside of work, Bramble enjoys spoiling her niece and nephews, spending time outdoors, traveling and strength training.

Jackie "Jack" Dean Guest Sr

Cowpens - Jackie "Jack" Dean Guest Sr, 87, of Cowpens, South Carolina went to be with Lord on October 16, 2021.

He leaves behind his loving and loyal wife of 63 years, Ruth; daughter, Jayda and son-in-law Rick Griffiths; daughter-in-law, Amelia King; grandchildren, Jackie Dean Guest III and his wife, Stephanie Nicole Guest, Joseph Michael Guest, Tyler Andrew Griffiths, and Carson Thomas Griffiths; as well as great-grandchildren, Aidan James Guest, Owen David Guest, and Asher Dean Guest.

Jack was born to General Sanford and Alma Estelle (Hambright) Guest in 1934 in Gaffney, South Carolina. He grew up on the family farm, where they would grow a variety of crops. Jack was active in his local community at an early age, he even drove the school bus his senior year of high school. Jack graduated from Cowpens High School in 1952, after which he enlisted in the United States Navy where he served on a Navy destroyer in the Korean War. When Jack was honorably discharged in 1957, he returned home and began working at Spartan Grain Mill Company where he met the love of his life, Ruth. They married in 1958 and enjoyed over six decades of life together.

In 1958, Jack and Ruth moved to Clemson, South Carolina where he attended Clemson University, and graduated with his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering in 1961. While Jack worked for many great companies over his career, he spent most of his time, 13 years, at Collins & Aikman Corporation. Jack retired from Springs Industries as Director of Corporate Engineering in 1995.

Jack became a member of Carmel Baptist Church in 1968 and was a lifetime deacon. He served on many different committees and taught Sunday school along the way.

After retiring, Ruth and Jack moved back to the family homestead in Cowpens, South Carolina. Jack was a member of the Korean War Veterans Association, South Carolina Chapter 304. He kept himself busy as a Licensed Professional Engineer working as a consultant and project manager after retirement.

Jack is preceded in death by parents, General Sanford and Alma Estelle Guest; brother, Floyd Arthur Guest; as well as his son, Jackie Dean Guest Jr. and daughter, Jill Gowan Guest.

A service to celebrate Jack's life will be held 11:00 AM Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at Carmel Baptist Church. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at 2:00 PM in Fort Jackson National Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.

A historic upstate South Carolina town is so small that you might miss its exit on Interstate-85, but to Merle Gault, it’s home.

During Father’s Day weekend, the red, white and blue colors are hoisted high in Cowpens as the 2.3 square-mile town celebrates the Mighty Moo.

“If you don’t know what the Mighty Moo is you’re losing out on a lot of things,” said Gault, a Cowpens resident.

The town holds the four-day celebration each year to honor and remember Navy crewmembers of the USS Cowpens CVL-25 who served in World War II and those from the USS Cowpens CG-63, which is currently active in the US Navy’s fleet. This year’s 41^st festival was June 13-16.

The festival is packed with various events for visitors and residents. This year, those events included, rides, performances, and fireworks. Vendors were also there this year.

“It’s to welcome traveling veterans from across the country and their families that come into Cowpens, and it’s a lot like a church social or a family reunion,” said Jan Humphries, a member of the Mighty Moo Committee and the official point of contact between the community, the ship and veterans.

The history of the festival is one Cowpens clings to and celebrates.

According to documentation at the Cowpens Museum, during World War II, George D. Martin, a Cowpens businessman, wrote to President Franklin Roosevelt asking that an aircraft carrier be named after the town of Cowpens. This wasn’t an unqualified request since Cowpens was the site of the pivotal Revolutionary War battle.

Many saw the naming of the ship as an appropriate honor, and so did President Roosevelt.

On May 28, 1943, the USS Cowpens was commissioned in Philadelphia, jumpstarting a distinguished combat career.

The CVL-25 “was in active service for three years during WWII. She was floating next to the Missouri when the Japanese signed the peace treaty. And her planes flew off her deck and were the first to land in Japan after the end of the war,” said Humphries.

The ship earned 12 battle stars and a navy unit commendation for her service in World War II, according to the Mighty Moo website.

Carswell Wynne served as plane captain on the USS Cowpens CVL-25 and recalls being near the Missouri at the end of the war.

“Going into Tokyo Bay on the first American Air Craft Carrier, [being] anchored close to the Battleship Missouri when all the dignitaries came aboard to sign the surrender, [and] walking the streets of Tokyo two weeks after the surrender [were] all exciting to participate in,” he said. “[But,] the most exciting time was when the going home pennant went up and our ship was headed for home.”

“The Mighty Moo” was the nickname given to the ship by its crew, because of the “mooing” sound the ship made as it moved through the water, according to accounts from the crew. Cowpens picked up on the nickname in 1977, turning the annual festival into the ship’s namesake.

“Well it initially started following, the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. The first reunion of the USS Cowpens CVL-25 WWII ship was held in ’77. And all they did was put a blurb in several newspapers throughout the southeast,” said Humphries.

But that blurb was more than enough to draw a crowd. According to the Mighty Moo website, about “1,500 visitors” showed up to enjoy the “rides, flea market, and colonial experiences” the first year.

On March 9, 1991, the USS Cowpens CG-63, a guided missile cruiser, was commissioned in Charleston, South Carolina.

“We call it, the ‘new ship,’ even though she’s 26 years old… She’s the first of the guided missile cruiser group that’s being renovated, updated, modernized with all of their security, technology, everything. She’s going to be top of the line. They are anticipating that she will be back in active service late 2019 to mid-2020,” Humphries said.

The ship has set many records, including an unparalleled track of six successive battle efficiency awards.

With the crew from two different ships, the amount of people that the annual festival drew grew, which Humphries attributes to the uniqueness of the festival.

“We say, and very proudly say, that we are the only community in the United States that has this type of event. I’ve had military career sailors, veterans tell me, ‘I’ve been/served on six or seven ships and I’ve never seen anything like what Cowpens has done with the Mighty Moo.’ Never. It’s not done,” said Humphries.

The future of the festival faces a challenge as the number of World War II veterans dwindles.

Just four of the eight surviving CVL-25 crewmen were able to attend this year’s festival.

“It’s very hard and sad. It breaks your heart because we are family. It’s kind of what the adopt-a-crew emphasis is. Celebrating our family that served on our ship and they are now part of the Cowpens family. It’s very hard losing our WWII crewmen,” said Humphries.

The dwindling number of crewmen isn’t lost on Humphries and many others.

“There’s only four of us from the CLV-25 here this year, and we’ll be dropping off year by year. So, the CG-63 people take up the representation of the Cowpens ship,” said Ray Williams, a WWII USS Cowpens CVL-25 crewman.

Wynne, too, is aware of that reality but plans to relish every moment.

“Words can’t explain the joy we have when coming to The Mighty Moo Festival,” Wynne said. “This could be my last year, but if I can crawl, I’ll be here next year,” he said.

Humphries is confident the younger crew members of the CG-63 will take up the baton and represent the ships at future reunions as they get older.

“You know when you’re young, you don’t think about reunions … But as you get older, you think back to the history, the times, the experience you shared,” she said. “I’m very proud of them, and I’m very sure that they will step up and continue for our WWII crew.”

But for some, coming to Cowpens once a year wasn’t enough.

Joe Giannini was on the original ship in World War II. Gianni, a lifelong resident of New York had eight children who he exposed to the Mighty Moo celebration.

His son, Mark, a New York city fireman who brought his family to the festival for almost 20 years, served during 9/11 and recently retired from the New York City Fire Department. After retirement, he moved his family to Spartanburg County and built a house on a local lake last summer.

“That’s all funneled through Mighty Moo because of the relationships and the connection that’s been made over the years,” Humphries said. “They have fallen in love with the area, the people, so we are thrilled to have them.”

Humphries hopes others follow their lead. “If you haven’t gotten here yet, come on and visit us. We are waiting for you, anytime you can make it. We will love on you, spoil you and wear you out, but we will have a fantabulous time,” she said.

For more information about the festival, visit cowpensmightymoo.com.

All good things must come to an end. Dr. John “Jay” Boyd, United States Army Chaplain Center and School (USACHCS) Historian, made the most if his last day on the job. Boyd led a Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course (CHBOLC) class on a staff ride at the Cowpens National Battlefield near Cowpens, S.C. “I am trying not to get emotional, but I went out the way I wanted to,” Boyd said “As a military historian, the way I wanted to spend my final day was to be out in the field, on a staff ride, on a Historic Battlefield, with troops.” Boyd began his military career as an Enlisted Soldier but commissioned into the Infantry. Having a Masters in History, Boyd had his first opportunity to ply his first love as a Military History Detachment Commander following a Bosnia Deployment. He served nearly 30 years as a Soldier in multiple components of the US Army, retiring at the rank of Colonel. Boyd, armed with many years of experience, a love for history and a Doctorate parlayed these tools into a position with the 81st Division, then known as the 81st Regional Readiness Command in Birmingham, Ala., before the Command relocated back to Fort Jackson, S.C. He left to become the US Army Reserve Command (USARC) Historian in 2014 before making one last move in to take over as the USACHCS Historian in 2016. Despite leading many staff rides in his career, Boyd says he hasn’t seen it all. “What never ceases to amaze me is that there is always something new to learn. There’s always something a student brings to the fore. One student discussed the overconfidence of leaders, which dovetails to an article I recently read about overconfidence and how it can sometimes suppress ideas from junior leaders. It can result in executing a plan flawlessly that turns out not to be the best plan. That was brought out today.” That student, 2nd Lt. Channing Blake, played the role of Banastre Tartleton, famed British General defeated in the Battle. Blake, a Chaplain Candidate for the 98th Training Division, learned several lessons from her study. “It’s really important to seek counsel, to seek advice,” Blake said. “Take the time to receive it when you have the time before you dive in, especially when you are the one bringing the battle. If you are on the receiving end, when the battle’s being brought to you, that may be different. Had Tarleton taken the time to properly plan, and taken advice from his officers, the trajectory of the battle might have been different.” Boyd led the students through the battlefield with the assistance of Allen Skinner, 81st RD Historian, as he often does, teaching leadership and tactics training. Students prepare for the event by studying famous battles, with each one taking a specific role or topic to present to the class. They take the role of leaders or staff to discuss logistics, strategies, intelligence, planning and other facets of operations. For a Chaplain Candidate, the lessons extend to what they will face in the field, to include morale, tending to wounded Soldiers and P.O.W.s and death. Boyd said these and other lessons will enable leaders to make better decisions that might result in victory on the battle field and lives saved. He said it was a great way to finish his career. He appreciated the enthusiasm of the students and said he was glad to be able to work with his friend and colleague for the finale. The feeling was mutual. “It’s always great to work with Dr. Boyd,” Skinner said. “We’ve worked together as colleagues for a while, almost four years, and we work well together. We can accomplish a lot more than we can separately. I will definitely miss him. He’s a great colleague, a great person, and it will be very hard to replace him.”

A “spontaneous” Powerball player scored a huge prize — and her next move left her family “stunned,” officials said.

The woman made the unexpected decision to share some of her prize money with her siblings, according to the South Carolina Education Lottery.

“I wanted to make positive changes for my family,” the Spartanburg-area winner told lottery officials in an April 18 news release.

The woman shared the wealth after she bought a ticket that matched all but one number picked in the Feb. 28 drawing. Since she spent an extra dollar on the Power Play option, her $50,000 prize doubled to $100,000, McClatchy News reported.

“I was definitely surprised,” the woman said. “I kept rechecking it to be sure it was true.”

The prize was the real deal, and the woman scored it after she bought her lucky ticket on a whim.

She was at a Scotchman convenience store in Cowpens when she reportedly made the “spontaneous,” “spur of the moment” decision to play Powerball. She chose the Quick Pick option, meaning a machine randomly chose the numbers for her.

It turns out, her $3 ticket matched five of the six numbers picked in the lottery’s drawing. But it was one number from winning that night’s estimated jackpot of $414 million, drawing results show.

The winner — who wasn’t identified in the news release — kept $69,500 after taxes, lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong told McClatchy News in an email.

To score a jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.

The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.

Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.

Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.

Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.