The Long Journey Examining the Past: Heartache & Happiness
Posted: May 21, 2017 Filed under: Appreciation, Brat Life, Service, Uncategorized | Tags: Brat Life, ORLY Leave a commentI wrote a humorous book a couple of years ago called ORLY. The title is slang for “Oh, Really”. That is what people say after they read the stories. I’ve lived a very full life and it has been filled with unusual events. Many of my readers are convinced that most of the stories are embellished or straight out fantasy. I have received many requests for an ORLY 2 but unless you know Oprah Winfrey personally, selling a book is next to impossible. When Circe Olson Woessner, a brat that is involved with the Museum of the American Family found out that I’m an author, she offered to share the book on her blog to see if maybe she could get some sales for me. At the same time, she asked me to write a little bit about my brat history to share with the Museum. She said they are looking to hear our voices. I’m disappointed that what I have written is a little bleak. I wish I could have been just a little bit more upbeat but my voice needed to be honest for the words to ring true. Here is my story.
I’m an Army Brat and have just started the long journey of facing the past. I’ve been reading about other military brats and our stories are all the same. The thing I find strange is that none of them would change their childhood. There are parts of mine that I remember fondly but, overall, what I remember from mine is one heartbreak after another. Read the rest of this entry »
VA History Tidbit – Joseph H. Freedlander, Architect – Beaux Arts architecture – Mountain Home – National Preservation Month
Posted: May 12, 2017 Filed under: History, Housing Leave a commentIn celebration of National Preservation Month
VA’s earliest hospitals were built as branches of the National Home for Disabled Volunteers Soldiers. In the aftermath of the American Civil War, Congress established the National Homes to provide medical care, rehabilitation, and a “real home” for thousands of Union veterans who survived the war, but whose disabilities or lack of family prevented them from finding suitable jobs and housing. The National Homes were purposely designed to be beautiful and welcoming and many notable architects were involved in creating that first generation of national veterans hospitals and homes. They were built in spacious, park-like settings which provided lots of opportunities for veterans to take relaxing strolls, get fresh air, and commune with nature. The National Home’s Mountain Branch, which opened in Johnson City, Tennessee, in 1903, was designed by renowned Beaux Arts architect, Joseph H. Freedlander, and is unique among VA’s early hospitals.
Joseph Henry Freedlander was born on August 18, 1870 in New York City to Jewish immigrants who migrated from Germany. His father was a hat wholesaler and his mother was a homemaker. He attended public schools and was later accepted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he graduated in 1891 with a degree in architecture at the age of 20. He then became one of the first Americans to attend the prestigious Écoles des Beaux Arts in Paris and graduated in 1895. Beaux Arts was a distinctive design style that embellished classical revival architecture with lavish and ornate details. The Écoles des Beaux Arts was regarded as one of the superior fine arts school in the world, at the time, and its artistic influences spanned from the early 19th century until the mid-1930s. Read the rest of this entry »
We would like your stories for a new anthology
Posted: May 1, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
MILITARY FAMILY MEMORIAL TO BE UNVEILED IN SANTA FE ON MAY 13
Posted: April 26, 2017 Filed under: Events, History, Military Family Museum | Tags: Military Family Memorial; Brat Memorial Leave a commentApril 24, 2017
For immediate release
For additional information: Dr. Circe Olson Woessner, (505) 504-6830
MILITARY FAMILY MEMORIAL TO BE UNVEILED IN SANTA FE ON MAY 13
Museum of the American Military Family Partners with the New Mexico National Guard
“Because our military families are so diverse, when we started to design our memorial, we decided to use a house because no matter which generation or which branch of service, we all keep the home fires burning – home is where our hearts are,” Museum of the Military Family (MAMF) Executive Director Dr. Circe Olson Woessner says. “We are proud to have created such a unique memorial to the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, spouses, and others who have loved and supported a member of the U.S. Armed Forces.”
The Military Family Memorial is possible because of a grant from the Kerr Foundation and the generosity of companies like Lowe’s, RAKS, and of the National Guard, veterans’ organizations, and many individuals, especially “members of our all-volunteer board of directors, and extended Facebook family.”
The memorial is a small house, designed by Woessner and configured for a static display of family memorabilia by Museum special projects manager Paul Silva, a Sandia National Laboratories retiree. Through each of five windows, visitors can look upon displays depicting the life of a military member, of children, of spouses.
The Memorial is located on the grounds of the New Mexico National Guard Museum (formerly the Bataan Memorial Museum) in Santa Fe. It will be dedicated on May 13 at 1:00 p.m. during a weekend Guard commemoration of the end of World War II in Europe.
Army veteran and graphic designer Dominic Ruiz created the panels. He said the monument would teach people about military life and allow individuals familiar with it to reminisce. “For me, it brought back a lot of memories,” Ruiz says.
Woessner says, “I don’t know if there are any other memorials dedicated to the military family and I am grateful that the National Guard leadership recognizes the family as an essential component of military service and supports having our memorial right at the entrance to their own museum.”
For more information about the Museum of the American Military Family, visit www.militaryfamilymuseum.org or write to Museum of the American Military Family, P.O. Box 5085, Albuquerque, NM 87185. Tel: (505) 504-6830.
Operation Footlocker Memory: Where Are You From?
Posted: April 12, 2017 Filed under: Brat Life, Memories, Military Family Museum, Overseas Life, Service, The Host Nation | Tags: operation footlocker Leave a comment
MAMF Looking for “Brat Liaison”
Posted: March 31, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentThe Museum of the American Military Family is looking for a volunteer Brat Liaison to join our team. This is a virtual position, so the candidate can live anywhere. The ideal candidate should be comfortable with social media, be active in Brat Communities, both on-line and in his/her local area. The candidate should be willing to write articles for blogs and newsletters and be creative, independent and interested in fulfilling the museum’s mission.
Interested candidates should send a letter of interest/qualifications with contact to: Director, MAMF
Subject line- Brat Liaison
to the following email:
Militaryfamilymuseum@comcast.net
MAMF Special Exhibit on April 7
Posted: March 30, 2017 Filed under: Events, Uncategorized Leave a comment
