The aforementioned WWI Exhibit was visited on this beautiful, sunny day here in Hartford, CT. There were long-ish lines but I did wait until nearly 1:00pm to go; there were school buses lining the streets and I know the kids were in the actual Old State House and Museum after going thru the WWI Exhibit.
Which was – breathtaking. Small, tasteful and humbling … incredibly humbling. At right is a true-to-life recreation of a Foxhole and you had to walk thru it. I found it to be almost claustrophobic and they had sound effects to go with it – planes flying overhead, bombs exploding, gunfire.
There was a tremendous amount of information in a small-ish space however none of it felt crammed and I never felt rushed. In fact I was struck by the – silence – inside. Except for the 2 women in front of me where one was translating a few things for the other not many people were talking. It was – reverent.
As to the information – I never considered the task of moving 2 million people to Europe in the days before passenger air travel. Freighters were converted and the practice of “hot racking” was born thru the sharing of berths to conserve space.
Also did not know that Britian adopted a non-repatriation ruling where personalized funeral monuments were forbidden – despite the fact that the public was clamoring for them. As a consequence, families were unable to bring home their dead.
Contrast with the Americans who promptly told all families who had loved ones die during WWI that they would all be brought home and buried in this country should the family wish it. Even so, the creation of burial grounds on former battlefields took on new significance in the face of the sheer numbers of dead.
The exhibit is nearing the end of its tour. It started in Kansas in May of last year. From CT it goes back to Kansas, heads thru Oklahoma and ends in Missouri in mid-June. I am so glad it made a stop here and that I got to be part of it even if only for 30 minutes.
They had a guestbook at the end which I dutifully signed with this comment:
“Honoring our warriors is the single greatest thing we can do as a country and as individuals.”
I truly believe that with all my heart and I’m starting to wonder if the next phase of my career is going to be working with the military in some way.
WWLD?
That was very interesting Kris. I can assure any American families that the last resting places of their relatives, in France and England (the only ones I’ve visited) are pristine and the most cared for, most hallowed of ground. Hoping to nip over to The Somme later this year, on the bike hopefully. I always give a little farewell `salute from Milwaukee` on my Harley Davidson, wherever Americans are at eternal rest.
My grandfather, Eugene O’Keefe, was a machine-gunner with the Australians in France during WWI. He made it back afterward, but suffered from exposure to mustard gas for the rest of his life. He carried a small rosary in a leather pouch all through his enlistment. Later on, when he met my father (who was dating his daughter, later to be my mother, he gave that rosary to him. My father carried it through WWII with the Navy in the Pacific. When i enlisted, it was passed to me, and I passed it on to my son who carried it through Afghanistan with him.
There are still echoes of that Great War running through all our lives. Thanks so much for a nice post about the exhibit. I wish more people could have the chance to see it.
AW1 Tim – Thanks for sharing that. That’s an incredibly touching family story and I want to thank your family for their service.
Agreed with Sarge; such a wonderful family tradition Tim.
Kris, thanks for posting about that. I had not heard of it before now. I have sent on the W&R link to friends along the route. I only wish I had known that it was here at the CSU campus in Ft. Collins last summer. I’m bummed to have missed it.
So colocomment, you’re in Ft Collins? That’s awesome! I got my Bachelor’s from CSU. Great school, great town!
Kris, excellent post. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
OAFS, yup. Great town. I migrated to Colorado in the 70s from Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan, & born ‘n raised near Detroit (may the ruins of that fine city rest in peace). Moved around a bit: Lakewood, Evergreen, Littleton, and now Ft. Collins. I don’t think I could live anywhere but Colorado.
Dunno how long ago you were here, but you might be interested to know that the current town/gown controversy is that the new AD and ftbl coach want to build an on-campus football stadium. OMG, the uproar. It’s almost as much fun to watch as the Seamus-on-the-roof v. Obama dog chow fights.
Great post, Kris. I’ve been to the American cemeteries in France (England, too, Hogday) and toured the Verdun battlefields… sobering experiences, all.
Thanks for the post. For those interested in WWI history in the Chicagoland area, be sure to visit the Cantigny estate in Wheaton. It houses the First Division museum and replica WW1 trench.
I just planned to stop and thank you for allowing me to prevent by.
I constantly tried to live a healthy life; their particular what I ever
really thought you needed in the world to acquire going.
I had started out young, just seeking to enjoy being known to eat
my chocolate when I sought. I would have been a computer nerd mostly; my mother would need me alternatively to often be some type
of soccer star, or perhaps just a child who played sports.
Instead I dedicated myself into your world of the www. I was hooked, remember my initial laptop would have been a beast; my father
has pitched inside of purchase it in my closet.
I cannot your investment very first time that I used America online, this was some of the
craziest moments of my life. I surely could see just
what others had done. Some sites where not grown not even purchased or parked, the chances where really limitless got I stepped as well as
just looked. But in doing this I additionally sat for
apple a lot and kept eating and eating and eating.
This cause me having some really fat and high years while I was a student in middle school that may
resulted in me being jeered at the time by different types of individual on the internet, when all I wanted would be
to try to be left alone. I was never a single those child prodigy kids,
people who would possibly be the world s most treasured individuals.
No I only agreed to be a fat computer nerd, and
I needed to take action.
This really is as I taken on the powers of tvs and doctors.
I was indeed looking the webs but got never really thought to be maybe simply go and hear just what big
companies where recommending at present. Not realizing that in actual fact the modern world can
alter from day to evening, I sought my life to change I was determined to locate a way.
I had have found a program called Dr. Oz for a doctor who had been
showcased on Opra a while back for giving some groundbreaking weight loss guidelines.
But alternatively I just sat there wondering what my
life got done to me. I got I never thought that various things
easy as as going outside and building a chunk might assist.
Heck not even running just finding the time as a result of my
day to stroll a nice bit, perhaps receive a wander down some stairs or up them.
These little simple things I established doing established cutting my lbs
over time, there is however constantly a bit. I arrived at the stage where
I was no longer removing extra weight and didn’t follow simple proven steps
I realized that technology within the last few
year or so had ended in some great breakthroughs.
I just still wasn’t sure what I needed to accomplish this
I consulted the internet to understand if what Dr.
Oz was referfing to was really all the sport was ultimately damaged adequate to be.
As you can imagine I found that a significant sites all referred to the greatness of
the body weight reduction drugs currently available today
and boy was I surprised. They pointed out every type of thing
that you can buy from things he previously suggested from in older days to ingredients
that continue to just getting discovered. I thought this was the most significant turning
point in my life, I launched trying everything
seemed to be similar to work might try one a quarter or so and check
out another to obtain a few months so that
time went I started losing fat. I never mixed and matched nevertheless it really
did aid to notice that I was getting the metabolism
increase I subsequently greatly needed and
following that I was actually in a position to
change my existence since it put me over the edge and I suddenly established feeling better much more energy and its specific as
a general self-fulfilling prophecy lots of we did it cardiovascular disease energy you could have.
Next thing you really know I was on the world I was finally backed to how I use of getting around my college years.
Discussion about a great self-esteem increase
along with a great help to my well being.
All because out of great medicine for sale
from raspberry ketone to pure green coffee berry extract to satiereal saffron pull.
Sometimes 7 keto arrives in here and suggested that
it really is also great to assist drop a kind of lbs but
no one is ever going to understand until this number published then
the world might soon understand what joy
is often life.
Excellent pieces. Keep posting such kind of
information on your site. Im really impressed by your blog.
Hello there, You have done an incredible job. I will certainly digg it and in my opinion recommend to my friends.
I am sure they will be benefited from this site.