For my birthday this year, I wanted to visit the WW2 Museum in New Orleans. There are several WW2 museums across the country, but this one, for my first time, was magnificent. The museum consists of seven buildings all connected by skywalks and sits not that far from the French Quarter. I was not sure how long it would take us to see the entire museum, so we arrived when they opened. Our world today is quite different from then, but walking into this capsule made you feel like we had stepped back into time. One thing I want to mention is that all the volunteers that were there were children of WW2 veterans.
Not everyone who reads this will care about WW2, but for Wesley and myself, it holds more than just a piece of history. Wesley’s grandfather and my father were both part of the war effort. My father, though he was fourteen when he enlisted, asked if he could use a friend’s birth certificate that put his age at 18 to join the war. Once the army found out that my dad was only fourteen, they did not send him home but gave him a job as an ambulance driver. Growing up, my father always had a book on his nightstand or there were many documentaries in the movie library about WW2. He really enjoyed history and especially WW2 history.
As I mentioned there are seven buildings. The entrance is a train taking the recruit to boot camp. It took you through the entire war and included minorities, women, and the concentration camps. The museum also showcased how war shaped the world and highlighted advances made since the end of World War II. Politics, science, education, entertainment, machinery, the list went on and on. One exhibit I want to mention is the wall of military dog tags. They covered an entire wall. It was eerily quiet in the hallway where they hung but incredibly beautiful at the same time.
Within the seven buildings there were three gift shops and two restaurants. Numerous short films were also presented. My blog does not do this historic dedication justice. You need to see it to appreciate it.
Peace and Love,
Sara & Wes