BY SAVANNAH JACKSON
MOREHEAD — Morehead State University student Bryce Fletcher, a graduating senior from Warfield majoring in history, has won the Certificate of Exceptional Merit. This award is given in recognition of top-scoring research at the 2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship. MSU also recognized Fletcher as the “Outstanding Student in History” at the Caudill College Honors Ceremony.
Fletcher and Dawson Helton (a history and legal studies double major from Magoffin County) jointly presented “The Price of Freedom,” a poster presentation following the journey of Staff Sergeant Sammie Slusher in WWII.
“The point of the project was to raise awareness of how WWII impacted the lives of people living in Eastern Kentucky,” said Dr. Adrian Mandzy, professor of history. “This grew out of a holistic approach to education, allowing students to connect with stories of the past and share them with the greater community.”
SSG Slusher, born in Magoffin County, served in the U.S. Army during the African campaign. He earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for bravely eliminating a Nazi machine gun squad, resulting in the capture of the enemy force in Djebel, Tunisia.
Later, during the Allied invasion of Normandy, Slusher landed on Utah Beach with the 9th Infantry Division on June 10, 1944, four days after D-Day. He participated in capturing Cherbourg Harbor, a strategic port for Allied forces.
Tragically, during the haze of battle, SSG Slusher passed in valiant defense of our nation and freedom. He left behind a daughter, Brenda Slusher, who is Dawson Helton’s grandmother. Because of Slusher’s sacrifice, Brenda was never able to meet her father.
“I was so proud of him even though I never met him,” Brenda said. “He was a hero to me. He was so excited because I was a girl. He wrote a letter to say if I was a girl to name me Brenda.”
Fletcher said that sharing Slusher’s story was special for him because of the impact these historical events had on people.
“Bringing Sammie’s role in WW2 to life as a hero for not only Dawson but also his grandmother, who was Sammie’s daughter, was very rewarding and something I could only do here at MSU,” Fletcher said.
Helton, whose family connection to Slusher made the project deeply personal, expressed his gratitude for the chance to explore that history.
“To have the opportunity to use the skills I have gained as a history student at Morehead State to uncover and honor my great-grandfather’s legacy was a great privilege,” Helton said. “I am humbled that the institution has chosen to award our group with such a prestigious award.”
Savannah Jackson is a Morehead State University MPA student and graduate assistant.