Posted by
Curtal Friar on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 7:56:16 AM
I got up around seven o'clock yesterday morning, May 26, 2008, and began getting ready for the day. At about 8:15, my son and I left to go downtown to the National World War I Museum to attend the Memorial Day Ceremony. The event was one I will not soon forget, as the last living World War I veteran, Frank Buckles, was in attendance. I am glad I went, though I am left with some sadness and a sense that soon will be the end of an era and there will be no one left to connect us to that part of our history. It is our loss that there is very little in the way of personal accounts of World War I, at least when compared to other conflicts, such as the Second World War and the Vietnam War. Hopefully we can learn from that mistake and not allow the voices of our young men and women who have been in conflicts since to be unheard or forgotten. The event has inspired me start working hard on a personal project that has been on the backburner for several years, and that is to document the stories and experiences of our family, my side and that of my wife, to pass on to our children and grandchildren (someday). I would encourage everyone to do the same. Don't put it off or the day will come when some of your loved ones will be gone and their voices stilled forever.
After the ceremony, I took my son on a tour of the museum, and it was an enjoyable experience for both of us. My son enjoyed looking at all the big guns and airplanes and an old tank that had a whole punched in the side from a German round. One of our favorite parts of the museum was the Memorial Hall Tower. Up there, there were many displays to see. Most of those displays featured a picture of a World War I veteran, along with biographical and military data about that particular veteran. Next to each display was a glass case containing personal effects (firearms, uniforms, letters and papers, and various miscellaneous items) of the specific veteran. My son had many questions about the various items, and I did my best to explain them. Some of them posed me difficulty, for example, one case contained a handheld instrument that was used for adjusting and setting range on some old artillery piece. Of course, I was able to tell my son that it was used to properly aim the big gun so that they could hit their target, but my son wanted to know specifically how that was accomplished, and I had to tell him that I simply did not know.
The highlight of the day's activities, for me, though, was when we left the museum and proceeded to my car. Once we got in and were on our way home, my son (who is six and a half years old) remarked that it was important to go to places like the museum so that we never forget. That declaration made me proud of my son. I hope he will pass that idea on to his children someday.