HEROES AMONG US
the WALLS I
NIM ADDS TO OUTDOOR EXHIBITS Te original five miles of narrow gauge
nfantry and Armor history has moved outside the walls of the National Infantry Museum. One of the oldest
and largest artifacts is a 1919 train engine and observation car that ran through Fort Benning. Museum Director Frank Hanner says the engine, manufactured for the American Expeditionary Force for use in France, was used to transport men and material to ranges spread across the installation.
railroad track grew to 28 miles, and at one time there were 28 locomotives. In 1946 the railroad was taken apart and sold, and by 1972 all the cars and engines were scrapped. “A major in the Army— an unsung hero—went to the railroad yard and saved a train,” Hanner reports. It has been on display at the other National Infantry Museum sites on post and now is located under a shed next to
BEYOND
the WWII Village. Large armament has also been placed
around the grounds, including a WWII half track painted in the early green color the Army used. An early Bradley fighting vehicle, tested at Fort Benning in the first Gulf War, is also on display.
Tribute to Vietnam Vets Te first time Zema Laird saw the
Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. she couldn’t approach it. Te National Infantry Museum volunteer, whose husband Jerry was killed in Vietnam in 1969, recalls: “It was overwhelming. I stood frozen.” Now she hopes to help others deal
with their emotions when the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall makes the National Infantry Museum its home. Laird says the Wall arouses strong
feelings, especially for those with a con- nection. She has heard it compared to a huge altar. “You can go to an altar and lay down what you are carrying around,” she explains. “Whether it is a tangible or emo- tional burden, you can leave it there.”
18
Columbus and the Valley
AUGUST 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77