The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Branch Posts > Army

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-11-2018, 01:11 PM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,784
Thumbs up Fort Carson's Living History Day gives a glimpse into the lives of soldiers, past and

Fort Carson's Living History Day gives a glimpse into the lives of soldiers, past and present
By LIZ FORSTER | The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) | Published: June 11, 2018
RE: https://www.stripes.com/news/fort-ca...esent-1.532196

FORT CARSON, Colo. (Tribune News Service) — Just days after the 74th anniversary of D-Day, Fort Carson offered the opportunity to go back in time.

Participants Saturday in the post's annual Living History Day sat in replica tanks, pulled the trigger of unloaded 1940s machine guns and spoke into clunky communication devices.

"There's something human about the desire to touch something, to lay our hands on history," said Joseph Berg, director of the 4th Infantry Division Museum. "Documentaries and a movie can only teach you so much."

For Laura Evans, whose husband was deployed with his Fort Carson unit to Iraq last week, the day is a chance to "see pieces of history you can't come across every day."

"I learned that grenades were made in the shape of baseballs in the 1940s because every boy knew how to throw a baseball in those days," she said. "How many other places could you learn that?"

Though this year's displays and re-enactors exclusively showcased past wars, the chance for children to interact with military equipment can help them understand the lives of their active-duty parents.

"This may be the first time a kid holds a ... rifle even though their dad does every day. It makes what their parents do out in the field more real," Berg said.

With the recent wave of deployments of Fort Carson soldiers to the Middle East and Europe, the message is particularly germane, both to kids and adult civilians, said United Services Organizations volunteer Brett Blethen.

"Most people don't know what it's like to be stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan, and it's even harder to imagine what it was like for people in the Vietnam War, World War II and older wars," said Blethen, an Air Force veteran. "But it's important to see what people had to put up with to understand why we support our troops."

Though Living History is held once a year, the museum aims to educate every day of the year. For some, the museum is their first exposure to military history. For others, it is a gateway to their family history.

"I have two to three people a week come in with a stack of documents filled with Army jargon asking me what I can tell them about their great-grandparent who fought in World War I," Berg said.
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:22 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.