User:Eddie Tapper

Edward "Eddie" L. Tapper

Eddie is a life-long resident of Hudson, North Carolina. He attended 1st - 6th grades at Hudson Elementary School, 7th - 9th grades at Hudson Middle School and 10th - 12th grades at South Caldwell High School. In 1987, at the age of 18, he began a six year military career in the US Army and the North Carolina Army National Guard, spending time at Ft. Jackson in South Carolina, Ft. Dix in New Jersey, Hunter Army Air Field in Georgia and an overseas deployment to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. He left the military life behind in 1993 and focused on his new career as an over-the-road and local truck driver. He ran interstate commerce into the 48 contigious United States and 7 Canadian Provinces. In February 2001, He began working for the Town of Hudson in the Public Works Department where he remained until his retirement in June 2014, due to a 100% Military Disability. He now just piddles around in his hobby woodshop, The Woodshed, in Hudson.

He married his wife on September 26, 1999 and together they have a son, born August 25, 1994 and a daughter, born August 31, 1995. In March 2003, they purchased their current home in Hudson.

Eddie is a Life Member of Disabled American Veterans Chapter #6 in Hudson, an Annual Member of The American Legion Post #392 in Hudson and a former member of Veteran's of Foreign Wars of the United States Postal #538 in Hudson. He has served the American Legion on the local post level as Past Post Commander, Past Post Vice-Commander, Past Post Adjutant and Past Post Chaplain. He has also served The American Legion, Department of North Carolina on the state level as Past Division 5, District 21 Vice-Commander. For 13 years he coordinated with the Town of Hudson and planned their annual Town of Hudson Memorial Day Ceremony in partnership with Hudson Community Development ￼Association, The American Legion Hudson Post #392, Disabled American Veterans Chapter#6 and the Caldwell County Veterans Hounor Guard. He also worked hard each year to bring in a new and dynamic keynote speaker. His last Memorial Day Ceremony included speakers from three different Gold Star Families. Gold Star Families have a very close and personal connection and often times, a very new and different perspective on Memorial Day than that of their previous views on Memorial Day. Gold Star Families have lost a family member to war or armed conflict with a declared enemy of the United States of America. They represented three Caldwell County Veterans, one of which was a Hudson resident, who were killed in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. There stories brought tears to your eyes and put a new and personal perspective on what the holiday is really about, for many in attendance, as these were local heroes.