I would like to hear from any SSMA member who has either visited the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force or used features that are available on or through its homepage. I am planning a visit to Savannah, would like to make the most out of a visit to the Museum and hope some of your commentaries/suggestions might help. In advance, thanks.
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Scott, reconciliation is exactly what our association is about. If you look at the current videos on the left you will see our presence at the Oct 2014 memorial service in Schweinfurt. The memorial service is held yearly/jointly with members of the Schweinfurt community at the site of our memorial. If you look through other photos and videos you will see evidence our of work of reconciliation. Our mantra is "Foes by Fate, Friends by Choice"
Finding Americans who sacrificed their lives is hard without memorials like this. Archived information and personal records fall away, but Love for the less forgotten goes on. When WAR is over do we go home to peace. My father found it hard to find in his head. The cost of peace was high. Defending it was a price paid by human blood. Life knows both sides of the fallen sword!.
In this global world your neighbor may be a long way away, and think differently, accepting their differences can be hard to the affective learner, but essential to peace. In ways he brought the war home with him, but rarely talked about it. After Germans and Americans returned home they had no choice but to follow its death imperative vicariously exploring its realms of redemption, bearing the guilt no longer sin, but not only was it to be the function of the victim, but victor as well. both sides feel the cutting sword by which life lives and to live and/or die by the sword is to live on its cutting edge in transcendence.
I wonder if they ever shook hands after the war?
My father wanted to start an Aircraft museum in Roseburg OR that exposed the raw nerve of the sacrifices made by American Airmen. http://www.southernoregonwarbirds.us/ I found nice footage on a German site as well. secondschweinfurt.ning.com
After WAR when do we become human again?
Sorry I didn't know about the 2014 event. Georgia is not far though.
Hope all is well. God bless
HI Michael, I hope you have chosen dates to travel to GA when they are not having an ice storm. The reason I say that is one of my favorite places there is the Memorial Gardens. I believe the 305th BG has a memorial there, but I cannot remember its location. The SSMA memorial is to the right of the reflecting pool coming out of the Museum. It is about 4 ft tall, made of lack granite with a "T" at the top for Black Thursday. You need to leave the sidewalk for a good photo opp. The rest of the gardens has crew memorials on walls, generally to the back and individual names on the walls closer to the front left. The inside tour can be self-guided. Make sure you see the sections dedicated to the POW experience and Escape and Evasion. The B-17 nearing completion (The City of Savannah) is a focal point in the large area before going outside. The placement here necessitated realignment of some displays and unfortunately the second Schweinfurt was one display moved from prominence on a free standing wall as you enter the large room. When we were there this past October they were in the process of relocating the display to the outside wall. They did have a huge ball-bearing display that I had not seen before. If it seems area seems to be complete it would be wonderful if you could take a photo to share.
Upstairs you will find the research library. There you can search the veterans database. Have you submitted a form for your uncle? On their website under research you can download a paper copy and send, or submit electronically. I think one used to be able to search to see if a name is already there, but that option seems to no longer exist. They also have lots of research material, but unfortunately you cannot search electronically before going there. The folks in the library are very helpful though and can find things for you quickly. If there is lots of research you want to complete you may want to contact them beforehand.
If you only plan to be there for a day I would definitely plan to be there when they open. There is a nice cafeteria on the premises. Have fun and share some photos