Today, on a whim, I decided to visit the Veterans Museum. I've seen it before while walking home from work and was intrigued because it's seems out of place downtown. It's in kind of a weird location next to a Starbucks on 2nd avenue. The proprietor was really nice and gave me a free tour. It's one small room it so felt less like a museum and more like the homely basement of a war memorabilia collector. Which doesn't sound far the truth before he started the museum. In fact, he said his mom made the revolutionary war outfit, which he mentioned was one of the only items that was a replica among the antiques. A lot of the other items had been donated.
I felt bad for his son because it looked like they were getting ready to leave when I walked in. I'm sure he's gotten used to entertaining himself, his dad seemed pretty passionate about American war history, so it seamed like he could (and did) wax poetic about the subject for a while. I saw some neat stuff, noise makers used for gas attacks, a helmet with a throat microphone used by tank operators, 69 caliber bullets (fun for the kids). There was a funny exchange with the owner and a new volunteer who was getting the tour with me, trying the learn the ropes. While looking at a World War II gas mask the owner explained that the mask could be used for mustard gas attacks and the volunteer said "I've never tasted mustard gas before". The owner said "yeah, I would hope not, you would most likely be dead or blinded." to which the volunteer responded "Well...um...I've been tear gassed"...to an awkward silence.
The price was cheap, a recommended donation fee of three dollars, which he said that went to "keep the lights on" because everyone who worked there was unpaid volunteers. When I told the owner that my Pa Paw Baker, who has passed, fought in the battle of Iwo Jima he even gave me website to national archives so I could request a copy of his service records. It's a neat downtown oddity, I recommend checking it out.
I'm going to try to start doing some more random things like this and write about them on here.
