Kudzu Project
Stories that grow wild. Hosted by Nick Lucey, The Kudzu Project delivers voices and conversations from Western North Carolina, the Appalachians, and beyond — tangled in history, rooted in community, and blooming with life. Recorded in Hendersonville, NC by the Lucey Agency.
Kudzu Project
Guadalcanal Diary: Marine Private Luther Rhodes Finally Heading Home
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More than eight decades after he was killed in action on Guadalcanal and declared MIA during World War II, the remains of Marine Corps Private Luther Rhodes are finally coming home to rural Henderson County, North Carolina.
In this follow-up conversation, I welcome back retired Army Major Bob Johnson — first introduced in Episode 3 of the Kudzu Project — for a remarkable update on the long and determined effort to locate Henderson County's missing servicemembers. What once felt like an unresolved chapter from the Battle of Guadalcanal has now reached a moment of long-awaited closure for the Rhodes family of Edneyville.
Bob shares how years of research, advocacy, and coordination with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency helped turn history into resolution, honoring a young Marine who gave his life in the South Pacific in 1942. This episode is a testament to remembrance, persistence, and a community that refuses to let its heroes fade into the past.
Some stories take generations to finish. This is one of them.
The Henderson County Chamber of Commerce is a proud presenting partner of the Apple Festival Races which will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2026. The event is presented by Hunter Subaru, with support from Lassonde Pappas, Cummins, and Mountain Credit Union. This event has something for runners of every level with an 8K, 5K, and Chick-fil-A Mini Moo Mile. To register, visit https://raceroster.com/events/2026/111853/apple-festival-races.
The Kudzu Project is powered by the Lucey Agency, a full-service marketing firm based in Hendersonville, NC.
The Kudzu Project is produced by the Lucey Agency in Hendersonville, North Carolina. To learn more about the podcast, please visit kudzuproject.com, or follow along on Instagram at instagram.com/kudzuproject.
