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Scenes from Front of Museum
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In early February of 2022, I had the privilege of visiting the St. Charles County Veterans Museum with a group of people from the Willows Way photography club where I am a photography mentor. This museum is just over two years old and I had never visited before. I was in for a wonderful surprise. The museum was a delight with lots of memorabilia and stories of veterans from World War I through the present day.
The volunteers who worked at the museum were wonderful and really made our whole experience very inspirational. They gave us time to explore on our own, but were always available to answer questions and tell the stories of the veterans that were featured at the museum.
On this post I will share with you some of the photos I took in the museum and also give your more information about the museum which I gathered from their website St. Charles County Veterans Museum
World War I Era Uniforms
After you enter the museum the first display you see is from World War I. Here are some of the uniforms from the display.
Mission of the Museum
Plans for a museum that honored all of the veterans from the area was a dream of Ralph Barrale (1924-2018) a veteran of World War II. He was able to get the location secured and the dream was becoming a reality when he passed on in 2018. Unfortunately he was unable to see the actual opening in 2019.
Here is the stated mission of the museum.
" Inspiring, informing and engaging the residents
of St. Charles County to honor the memories of County Veterans who served the United State of America with patriotic valor."
Korean War
There was a section of memorabilia from the Korean War and several stories of county residents who had served there. One of this heroes was a volunteer on the day that we visited and was very knowledgeable about that era.
Telling the Veterans Stories
The museum is in the process of developing a program where high school students interview veterans to find out their stories. The program is called "Interview our Heroes- Our Military Veterans." The goal of the program is to unite generations and tell the stories of veterans. The interviews will be on video and will be put on the museum's website along with being sent to the Library of Congress in Washington D. C.. This sounds like a wonderful program and I am looking forward to seeing these interviews on the website and on future visits to the museum.
Vietnam Era Memorabilia
Several stories have been collected from Vietnam veterans. Here is some of the memorabilia that is in the museum from that era.
There is an entire room devoted to the World War II veterans. It includes uniforms, models, and a tent from the era. Here are some of the photos I took in that room.
There were some beautifully done paintings hanging in the museum. This one was done by a local artist and depicts women in the military.
Wall Honoring Residents who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice
In closing I would like to encourage you to visit a Veterans Museum. It is a very moving experience. If you are in the St. Louis/St. Charles area or traveling through please stop at the St. Charles County Veterans Museum. It is located at 410 E Elm St in O'Fallon, Mo.
If this location does not work for you, I encourage you to look for a veterans museum near you to visit.
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