Preserving History Through Voice: The Oral History of Richard “Dick” Hammer

The Old Baldy Foundation receives a wide variety of inquiries each day—questions about the lighthouse, Bald Head Island, and the many details that help visitors plan meaningful experiences on our shores. Each call offers an opportunity to connect with someone who values this special place. Occasionally, a call arrives that not only shares curiosity, but also contributes directly to our mission of preserving and interpreting the island’s history. Such was the case last summer, when we received a message from a U.S. Army veteran who mentioned he had been stationed on Bald Head Island in the 1960s.

That conversation introduced us to Richard “Dick” Hammer and opened the door to an invaluable oral history—one that continues to enrich our understanding of the island’s past.

Mr. Richard “Dick” Hammer aboard his landing craft with the construction equipment he helped operate during the Army’s 1964 amphibious training on Bald Head Island.

Richard Hammer was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, on April 19, 1943, to William and Kitty Hammer, and grew up alongside his older brother, Bill. He considered joining the Navy and even attempted to join the Coast Guard, but ultimately enlisted in the United States Army in August 1961 at the age of 18, during a period marked by President John F. Kennedy’s early administration, heightened Cold War tensions, and the growing conflict in Vietnam. As he thoughtfully reviewed the original enlistment papers he has kept for more than six decades, Mr. Hammer recounted this era with notable clarity and composure.

Following basic training, he was assigned to Fort Eustis, Virginia, home of the Army Transportation School, where he trained in boat operations and heavy equipment. “Every day we would walk down to the dock area to work on our boat,” he recalled. After three years at Fort Eustis, he received an unusual training assignment—one that would bring him to the largely undeveloped landscape of Bald Head Island.

Captain Charlies ca. 1964

In the spring of 1964, Mr. Hammer got his first glimpse of Bald Head Island. The Army had identified the island’s remote, uninhabited maritime forest as an ideal setting for amphibious training in preparation for operations in Vietnam. He arrived on the island with many other soldiers aboard a landing craft—ironically the same model later converted into early passenger ferries, but he and one other soldier were the only ones trained to operate the heavy construction equipment that had been brought along. They were accompanied by several pieces of equipment, including caterpillars and a jeep.

Reflecting on his arrival, Mr. Hammer recalled: “We were unloaded on the beach there, and we met a guy that was a caregiver of the island [maybe Reese Swan] …  And he put us in one of those cottages, and that is where we slept.” The cottages he referred to were none other than the historic Captain Charlie’s.

Mr. Hammer was part of the crew sent to Bald Head to practice clearing maritime forest areas as part of the U.S. Army’s preparations for military operations in Vietnam. From that base, he spent his days operating a bulldozer to clear sections of the forest. By his own account, operating the bulldozer “wasn’t hard work… sitting on a bulldozer all day.” Although the exact locations remain uncertain, his work appears to have laid the groundwork for what would eventually become Federal Road and North Bald Head Wynd. His granddaughter, Ellie, a current UNCW student, even shared a photograph he captured from the top of Old Baldy, showing his bulldozer positioned at the foot of the tower.

Troop Transport — A view of the larger vessel anchored off South Beach during U.S. Army training operations.

One of the landing crafts that brought Mr. Hammer, fellow soldiers, and equipment onto Bald Head Island. This type of vessel was later transformed into one of the island’s first passenger ferries.

As additional soldiers arrived, Mr. Hammer transitioned from land clearing to amphibious landing exercises. He described meeting large troop transport ships offshore, then using low-draft landing craft to ferry soldiers and supplies to the beach. Infantrymen climbed down rope nets from the towering sides of the transports into his vessel before being carried ashore. Later, the exercises expanded to include DUKW amphibious vehicles—known as “ducks”—capable of driving directly from sea to sand.

Soldiers descending a cargo net from a transport vessel to a waiting landing craft, one of the amphibious training operations Mr. Hammer took part in on Bald Head Island.

Despite the demanding nature of their assignment, Mr. Hammer recalled moments of camaraderie and unexpected comfort. He climbed Old Baldy just 29 years after its decommissioning, and he spoke warmly of the caretaker who hosted him,  whose meals—often featuring freshly hunted duck, mashed potatoes, and vegetables—were “unbelievable.” Beyond their cottage and the lighthouse, however, he remembered the island being “nothing there… zero. It was uninhabited.”

Listening to Mr. Hammer’s recollections brings to life a Bald Head Island almost impossible to imagine today—one on the threshold of transformation. He was surprised to learn that only six years after his departure, development began on the island’s first golf course. The land he helped clear may truly be the foundation upon which modern Bald Head Island was built.

One of the “Duck” boats that could go from shallow water onto solid ground. These were later used for evacuations during hurricanes.

Photograph of Old Baldy taken by Mr. Hammer, showing the remnants of the glacis wall and an unidentified structure adjacent to the Oil House.

Mr. Hammer’s story is a powerful reminder that history is often preserved not only through documents and artifacts, but through the lived experiences of those who shaped a place—sometimes unknowingly. Collecting oral histories such as his is a vital component of the Old Baldy Foundation’s mission. These personal narratives deepen our understanding of the island’s evolution and ensure that voices like Mr. Hammer’s continue to inform and enrich our shared heritage.

It has been an honor to speak with Mr. Hammer, and we look forward to continuing our conversations, reviewing additional photographs, and preserving this meaningful chapter of Bald Head Island’s history—one story at a time.