Military, Medals and Museums

Medals
Better late than never
Iwo Jima survivors are eligible for another award. The Combat Action Ribbon, previously awarded only to Vietnam veterans is now available to Navy and Marine Corps combat veterans serving from December 6, 1941 to March 1, 1961. The 2001 Defense Authorization Bill included a provision making the ribbon available to these veterans.

Hershel "Woody" Williams received the award first from Col. John Garner. Williams said "It makes me feel good that they’ve recognized us after all these years." Garner added that the award is "particularly appropriate when you think of what they did." He said "uncommon valor was very common" among this era’s veterans, so it was often overlooked.

Requirements to receive the ribbon are to have served in ground or surface combat in the years specified above, complete a standard Form 180 or send a cover letter with full name, social security number, service number, period of eligibility, assigned unit and mailing address. If applicable, a copy of Naval Personnel Form 553 or Defense Department Form 214; DD-215. Contact Chief of Naval Operations (N09B33), 2000 Navy Pentagon, Washington DC 20350-2000; www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2000/b03212000_bt138-00.html.

Korean War Service Medals
If you haven't received your Korean War Service Medal, contact Major Kwon, Korean Embassy, 2450 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20008; 202-939-6484.

Memorials
Barking Beagles
Long without a memorial recognizing its contribution to the war effort, the American Beagle Squadron Alumni created a Memorial Wall featuring bronze plaques and renderings of a Spitfire and Mustang as well as a summary of the Squadrons WWII accomplishments. About $1,500 was raised for the wall through donations. A dedication ceremony will be held at the wall during the 52nd Fighter Group Reunion, September 21-23, 2000 in Dayton, Ohio. Contact Carl Hoogue, 972-681-0274.

Lynchburg preparing National D-Day Memorial
Lynchburg, Virginia, is preparing for the opening of the National D-Day Memorial on June 6, 2001. Located in nearby Bedford, the memorial is expected to attract nearly 200,000 visitors annually. It will honor the valor, fidelity and sacrifices of the Allied Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The first wave of battle at Normandy – with the most casualties – was led by the Army's 29th Division, made up mostly of Virginians. Virginia and Bedford are forever linked with D-Day as a symbol of America's sacrifice. The Virginia National Guard, the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Division, was one of the two first assault regiments on Omaha Beach, scene of the bloodiest fighting on D-Day.

In 1996, the City of Bedford was selected by Congress as the official site of the nation’s memorial to the Allied Forces involved in the D-Day invasion. One of the reasons was because the city (with a 1944 population of 3,200) had the highest per capita losses of any community in America during the landings on the Normandy coastline.

The Memorial’s 88-acre site, with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop, will feature sculptural tributes to all service branches, Victory Plaza and the massive overlord arch, ringed by the flags of the Allied Expeditionary Forces.

The Lynchburg Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau offers military reunion planners a "War & Peace" package that includes admission to the National D-Day Memorial, a visit to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (where the nation reunited following the War Between the States) and a tour of one of Lynchburg's five historic districts.

For a complete Reunion Planner package contact Lynchburg Regional CVB at 800-732-5821; lmeriwether@lynchburgchamber.com.

Freedom preserved and celebrated
The Freedom Museum is holding the Third Annual Festival of Freedom August 10-12, 2001 at the Manassas (VA) Regional Airport. The festival welcomes heroes from 20th century conflicts. Heroes include veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm.
The festival includes more than 25 vintage aircraft, many tanks and armored vehicles, WWII re-enactors, contemporary military and experimental civilian aircraft, period music, displays and patriotic performances. It’s a weekend immersed in American history.

Many previous festival favorites will return and new features will debut. Among the new features will be a JU-52 Tri-Motor German Transport. Other aircraft are P-51 Mustang, TBM Avenger, B-25 Mitchell bomber, UC-78 Bobcat, SNJ Trainer, Harvard Mark 2 Trainer.

The Freedom Museum was founded in 1999 by a group of veterans to honor contributions to world peace and freedom of the Armed Forces and civilian leaders. Contact The Freedom Museum, 10400 Terminal Road, Manassas VA 20110; 877-393-0660; 703-393-0660; www.freedommuseum.org.

Where were you in January 1944?
Members of surviving families of the crew of the B24 Liberator shot down in the Ardennes region of Belgium in January 1944 are sought for a reunion and memorial dedication. The memorial will be at the crash site near the village of Wibrin in Belgium. The reunion will bring together survivors or surviving family members of the crew. Arrangements, location and design of the memorial are being made in Belgium. The 44th BG Veterans Association will have a reunion tour group for this and other war memorials and sites. Contact Forrest S. Clark, 44th Bomb Group; 863-427-0371; b24vet@aol.com.

POW artifacts sought
The National Prisoner of War Museum, located at Andersonville National Historic Site, Andersonville, Georgia, is seeking artifact donations. The museum is the only unit of the National Park Service dedicated solely to the commemoration of POWs from all time periods in US history. Items that have a direct relationship to the POW experience are of special interest. This includes dog tags, forks and knives, letters and telegrams and items POWs actually used to survive their incarceration. Anyone with such POW related items is encouraged to contact Eric Reinert, Museum Technician, Box 800, Andersonville GA 31711.

from the Ex-POW Bulletin

Contribute to history
The National D-Day Museum is now seeking artifacts from Pacific invasions. Paula Ussery, Museum Curator, says the museum is looking for artifacts with interpretative stories and things that spotlight the human experience of the millions of men, women and children who participated in the Pacific and on the home front.

Of particular interest are American uniforms and personal equipment worn or used in combat and Japanese items such as swords picked up on beaches. The museum has many wonderful items, but needs more especially from areas like Tarawa, Peleiu and Guadalcanal. Contact Paula Ussery at 504-527-6012, ext. 234.

from The National D-Day Museum Newsletter

Continue the path to victory
The National D-Day Museum has sold more than 14,000 bricks since they started the "Road to Victory" brick campaign in November 1998. The campaign, an overwhelming success, helps raise funding for the museum to honor American heroes.

7,000 bricks allocated to the Hall of Heroes quickly sold out. Bricks purchased between February 1 and July 15, 2000 will be installed near the main entrance by June 6, 2001. Bricks purchased since July 15, 2000 will be installed in sidewalks down Andrew Higgins Drive and Magazine Street. They will be installed before December 7, 2001, in time for the Pacific exhibit opening. For info about the D-Day Museum write 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans LA, 70130; 504-527-6012; www.ddaymuseum.org.

from The National D-Day Museum Newsletter

The honor of your presence
After two centuries of service by military women and ten years of preparation, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial is scheduled to open October 18, 1997 at Arlington National Cemetery. Festivities include the dedication ceremony, tours, a gala, a thanksgiving service and a candlelight march from the Lincoln Memorial to the new Women's Memorial. Exhibits from a wealth of memorabilia, letters and photos are inspired by every era from the Civil War to Desert Storm to women serving today.

There are still many servicewomen still not included in the Memorial's Register. To include a past or present servicewoman in the Register or take part in the dedication, contact the Women's Memorial, PO Box 96742, Washington DC 20077; 800-222-2294.

Rosie gets her dues
With the dedication of the Rosie the Riveter Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, World War II women workers are getting the recognition they deserve. The memorial is 441 feet, the same length as Liberty ships women helped build and includes a walk with a timeline of facts and memories from female workers.

The memorial brought back memories for Phyllis Gould, a welder on the San Francisco Bay. When Gould's husband and friends joined the ship-building effort, she wanted to help too. She met opposition and was told "no women and no blacks." She cried the third time she was turned down but as she left, ran into a man who helped her get a job.

The job was rough, but Gould performed well and made sure she looked good while doing it. Behind her mask, her lips were lipsticked and her hair tied in a kerchief. She always made sure her bandanna matched the color of the shirt collar poking from beneath her sweats.
Marian Sousa, Gould's sister, was a draftsman in the war. About the memorial, she said "we never expected to be recognized. Everybody worked. They did what they could."

Sousa had an easier time entering the war effort later because female workers were commonplace by then. She took a crash course in drafting at The University of California Berkeley in 1943 at just 17. Then, got a job when her mother lied for her.

Sousa's job was to correct blueprints. "I remember just endless, endless papers of erasing two bunks and making them three bunks." She said the people she worked with were great. "I was expecting my daughter and those men gave me a surprise baby shower."

Recognition for all of "Rosie's" war efforts was greatly overdue.

from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Vietnam Memorial Top Draw
Among the most visited tourist attractions in the nation's capital is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. More than 2.5 million people pass the black granite walls bearing the names of the 58,220 men and women killed while serving with the US Armed Forces in Vietnam.

Tourists can also visit the Vietnam Women's Memorial, raised in 1993 to honor the nearly 8,000 American women on active duty during the war.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is free and open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Contact the Vietnam Memorial Fund, 1023 Fifteenth St NW, 2nd floor, Washington DC 20005-2602; 202-393-0090; www.vvmf.org.

Clarifying memorials
Some people mistakenly associate the Normandy Foundation, a private organization, with the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), sponsor of the World War II Memorial. There is no connection between the two and plans for the World War II Memorial continue to develop and grow. ABMC is the Executive Branch's agency, which maintains 24 permanent US military cemeteries abroad and 22 memorials in 15 countries. Contact WWII Memorial, Courthouse Plaza II, Ste 501, 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington VA 22201; 701-696-5127.

Wartime Wilmington Commemoration 1999
The Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau invites your reunion group to North Carolina's Historic Coast – the Cape Fear Coast, Wilmington, Jure and Wrightsville. The Cape Fear Coast is a world of history, recreation, island beaches and incredible beauty. Wilmington is home to the Battleship North Carolina World War II Memorial.

During 1999, "Wartime Wilmington World War II Commemoration" will be observed with activities to inform, educate and entertain. The mission of the commemoration is to recognize the service and sacrifices of those who served in the Armed Forces and on the home front. Potential events include: hosting military reunions, USO dances, lectures, participation by veterans in parades, displays and demonstrations of WWII equipment, performances of WWII-related stage productions, demonstrations by WWII reenactors, panel discussions and concerts.

For more information on the "Wartime Wilmington Commemoration, 1999" contact Kim Hufham, Director of Sales, 24 North Third St, Wilmington NC 28401; 800-227-4757, 910-341-4030; fax 910-341-4029; e-mail infor@cape-fear.nc.us; www.cape-fear.nc.us.

Museums
D-Day Museum a winner
More than 10,000 World War II veterans gathered in New Orleans in early June to observe the opening of the long awaited National D-Day Museum. Also in the audience were filmmaker Steven Spielberg, actor Tom Hanks and news anchor and author Tom Brokaw. The museum presents the history of WWII in personal stories and dramatic exhibits. Included is a reproduction of the Higgins boat, built by volunteers, many of whom worked on the same craft during the war.

The Academy Award winning film "D-Day Remembered" will show daily. Four interactive galleries profile America's role in the war with electronic maps, mini-theaters, photomurals, text panels and reproductions of artifacts.

Nine oral history stations allow visitors to hear stories from people who participated in the war. Also featured is the Hall of Heroes, paved with memorial bricks.
Call 504-527-6012 or visit www.ddaymuseum.org.

from New Orleans Parade

Legion of Valor Museum
The Legion of Valor, organized in 1890, is the nation's senior veterans organization. It is an association of persons who have been recognized with the award of one of the nation's two highest honors: The Medal of Honor of the Navy, Army or Air Force; or The Army Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross or Air Force Cross.

The Legion of Valor Museum is in the Fresno (CA) Veterans Memorial Auditorium, 2425 Fresno St, Fresno CA 93721; 209-498-0510. Hours are 10 AM to 3 PM with special viewing by appointment. Admission is free.

Fun at forts
Seeing military history is easy at Fort Scott and Fort Leavenworth, both in Kansas.
The forts were built to keep peace among Indian tribes and settlers heading west before Kansas was a state. Fort Leavenworth opened in 1827 and Fort Scott in 1842, both were gates to western expansion.

Eventually, there was a need to bury soldiers and cemeteries were established at each fort in 1862. These National Cemeteries offer a solemn and historic experience in American history. However, there are historic tours of nearby towns to lighten the mood. If frontier forts sound interesting, Kansas has eight and many offer living history programs and annual events. Visit www.fortscott.com; http://leav-www.army.mil/cac/history.htm; www.nps.gov/fosc/home.htm.

from Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing

Military history worth visiting
From the frontier forts of our westward expansion to the modern Air Force bases of the Cold War, military museums chronicle our past while honoring the men and women who fought for our freedom.

• The Civil War Museum, Bardstown, Kentucky, explores the War of the Western States - Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Mississippi;
  502-349-0291.
  
• Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, the US Air Force Museum 300 aircraft and missiles; 937-255-3286.
  
• Great Lakes Museum of Military History, Michigan City, Indiana, spanning military history from the Revolutionary War to Desert Storm; 800-726-5912.
  
• Rock Island Arsenal Museum, Rock Island, Illinois, the history of many eras since Fort Armstrong helped protect fur traders on the American frontier; 309-782-5021.
  
• The National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen at Historic Fort Wayne, Detroit, Michigan, is dedicated to men who fought for democracy while being denied freedoms for which they risked their lives; 313-843-8849.
  
• Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Madison, Wisconsin, exhibits Civil War to Desert Storm, each branch of the military; 608-264-6086.
  
• Camp Ripley near Little Falls, Minnesota, "Forts on the Frontier" exhibit describes how Minnesota's early garrisons and forts aided in the settlement of the state; 320-632-7374.
  
• The Strategic Air Command Museum, next to Mahoney State Park near Ashland Nebraska, 4000-item permanent collection and interactive children's gallery; 402-944-3100.
  
• South Dakota Air and Space Museum, Rapid City, South Dakota, Bus tours of Ellsworth Air Force Base during the summer months allow visitors to tour a Minuteman II missile launch facility; 605-385-5188.
  
• Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa, Gold Star Museum items from Iowans who served from the Civil War to the present; 515) 252-4531.
  
• The US Disciplinary Barracks and the Frontier Army Museum, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, focuses on the role the Army played in westward expansion; 913-684-5604.
  
• The 45th Infantry Division Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, displays works of cartoonist Bill Mauldin whose Up Front series featured two infantrymen's views of WWII; 405-424-5313.
  

As the US expanded across the Kansas plains in the 1800's, a fort was erected each time the frontier was pushed beyond the protective reach of the last citadel.

• Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth remain active. Fort Scott, Kansas, was established in 1842 to protect settlers on the Permanent Indian Frontier; 316-223-0310.
  
• Fort Larned; 316-285-6911.
  
• Fort Hayes was home to Lt. Col. George Custer and his 7th US Cavalry, as well as William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, Gen Phillip Sheridan, and the 9th and 10th US cavalries, better known as the Buffalo Soldiers; 785-625-6812.
  

from Home & Away Magazine, AAA Wisconsin

Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum
The warbirds at Tom Reilly's Flying Tiger Museum represent a cross section of the flying heroes of this century's history; B-25s, Corsairs, P-40s, P-38s, C-47s, TBMs and F104 Starfighters. You can walk among the planes and relate to the history they represent. The Flying Tiger Museum not only allows but encourages visitors to interact with planes. Look inside, see, smell and touch what changed the course of history.

Planes on display span almost a hundred years of aviation history. But this is no ordinary museum. These exhibits fly. It is not unusual to see a P-51 Mustang fly over head or a B-25 Bomber thunder by. Stearmans, Wacos, PBY's and DC-3's grace the skies of central Florida just as they did over Europe and the Pacific a half century ago. The roar of engines stirs everyone's heart for it is the sound of freedom. Visitors even have the rare opportunity to fly in a warbird. Once a month, a ride is given in the B-25 Mitchell bomber to one lucky museum visitor.

You can also buy a ride ($140) in the most famous "pilot maker" of all time, a 1945 T-6 at Warbird Adventures Inc. located adjacent to the museum. The Flying Tiger Museum is open daily 9 AM to 6 PM. Special events occur on Memorial Day, July 4th, Veterans Day and Pearl Harbor Day every year. The Flying Tiger Museum, 231 N Hoagland Blvd, Kissimmee FL 34741; 407-933-1942.

Visiting the beginning of the end
by Edith Wagner
The release of Saving Private Ryan has made many wonder, for the first time, what combat would really be like. The movie graphically returns many of those who experienced it to those dark, tragic days. The 30-minute opening scene of American troops landing on a Normandy beach is a terrifying depiction of the soul-searching horror of up-close combat. It is a scene that should remind many generations how their parents once fought a war to save the world. The war took lives and destroyed families but made countless heroes of young boys who were forced to grow up too, too quickly.

I recently had the privilege to join a special tour that concentrated on sites important to the World War II D-Day invasion. This is a tour you'll want to consider sharing with your children and grandchildren to demonstrate where you were and what you did in the war. We visited the main staging areas of Poole and Southampton and Bournemouth, a favorite furlough area along England's South Coast. Millions of US troops were stationed in Southern England preparing for D-Day. Over five million movements passed through Southampton on or after June 6, 1944. The Poole US/RAF base was the second largest embarkation point for US troops. Poole's harbor was a training ground for amphibious warfare and is still home of the Royal Marines Special Boat Squadron.

Project ECHO (Exporting Cultural Heritage Overseas), supported by the European Union, is a new European initiative aimed at promoting tourism to parts of England, France and Flevoland (Holland) that have strong, distinctive historical ties with North America. Many outstanding links and connections between North America and England and France occurred during World War II when US troops were stationed along the English South Coast and later when they liberated France and Holland.

Military reunions can follow the trails of their exploits and triumphs and relive their own heroism. The beautiful Normandy coast reminds us of Allied sacrifices between June and August 1944. Many travel itineraries follow the unfolding of the huge battle to free Normandy. The hilltop museum in Cherbourg recalls the liberation of the Continent after three weeks of fierce fighting. The Airborne Troops Museum in Saint Mere L'Eglise relives the painful atmosphere in the 1940s.

The ghosts of heroes are everywhere. The stories I heard as a child growing up during and after WWII come alive. As history it can come alive for the youngest generations. I encourage anyone with a connection to WWII to plan a visit.

Monuments, memorials, exhibits and activities honor and revere the sacrifice in lives for the millions who defended freedom and fought for liberty. The sacrifice and suffering are not forgotten.

Peace comes at a high price but one which even today, 55 years later, is obviously and clearly cherished by the recipients of the prize.

North Americans are openly and fondly honored at countless museums, galleries, exhibits, memorials and beaches throughout the area. Travel Portsmouth, Southampton, Poole and Bournemouth on the English side to get a flavor for how the war effort was building, thousands of Americans pouring into camps and bases waiting for the beginning of the end. A short and now comfortable ferry ride from Poole, England, to Cherbourg, France, reveals the goal of preparation and training and ultimate courage and heroism in the face of great odds. In France you can follow arrivals on beaches and the Allied advance to liberate the continent. Even today carved messages are still emblazoned in tree bark in parks that once accommodated thousands at "cigarette camps" (named after then popular cigarettes) in LeHavre.

It is easy to feel proud as an American to visit these sites and be reminded of the sacrifice and strength that persevered at a time when everyone rallied to the threat of true world tyranny.

Tourism information
To get a copy of Europe's Best Kept Secret about this area, call the British Tourism Authority, 800-462-2748 or Western France Tourist Board, 202-659-7779.

On the web

• Echo Cultural project, www.saturnus.nl/vvvf/go2europe; all areas in the article are linked to this site.
  
• Southern England, www.hants.gov/uk/localpages/south_east
  
• Bournemouth, www.bournemouth.gov.uk
  
• Poole, www.poole.gov.uk/tourism
  
• Portsmouth, www.portsmouthcc.gov.uk/visitor
  
• Southampton, www.southampton.gov.uk/Leisure/brochure.htm
  
• LeHavre, www.normandy-tourism.org/fr/H/Havre
  
• Cherbourg, www.cherbourg-channel.tm.fr
  
• The Golden Circle, Flevoland, www.tourist-net.nl/schat.html
  

We would like to recommend several special guides whom, if you can retain them, will make your tour extra special.

In England, David Parker, 1 The Armoury, Clock Tower Dr, Southsea PO4 9XT, England; phone and fax 011441705-737612

In France, Marie Leone Brecy, Grainville, 50310 Fresville, France; phone 01133 233411049; e-mail B.Brecy@Wandoo.fr or marieleone@hotmail.com.

If you're lucky, you'll encounter the "angel" of The Airborne Museum in Ste Mere Eglise, Monsieur L. Ph. Jutras, an American who returned to France and reunited with a wartime love after both were widowed.

This whole experience took on a sense of other-worldliness when, after an emotional day of visiting Normandy beaches, CNN revealed the reality of NATO bombing Kosovo.

About the author
Edith Wagner is the editor of Reunions magazine, author of Reunions Workbook and Catalog and The Family Reunion Sourcebook (Lowell House, Los Angeles) in bookstores now.

Remembering Vietnam
One of the most controversial and tumultuous times in US history has been honorably recognized with the opening of the nation's first Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. The center's exhibits include photographs, interactive displays, and personal letters from Vietnam veterans. More space has been allocated for classrooms and research. Located next to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, the Education Center is an unparalleled learning source and historic treasure house of the Vietnam Era. For more information call 732-335-0033; www.njvvmf.org.

Now open!
Bush Gallery at Admiral Nimitz Historical Center immerses visitors in WWII Era
The new George Bush Gallery of the National Museum of the Pacific War at the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas, opened recently. New exhibits portray American and Japanese battles in the defining War in the Pacific. Designed as a walk through history, memories will be awakened in veterans who fought on isolated beaches hopping across the ocean. A new generation, meanwhile, will learn how wide a swath this war created.
For more information about the Bush Gallery call 830-997-8515, or visit the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau, www.fredericksburg-texas.com; 888-997-3600 (toll free).

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