A Columbus North High School senior is creating a new display at the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum highlighting the lives of World War II soldiers and those who served in the Korean conflict through their letters.
Anthony Watson, 18, is working with the museum to develop the display as part of his senior project. Entitled “Letters from Home,” it focuses on nine handwritten letters soldiers sent to family members in wartime.
Most of the letters Watson received for the display were from individuals who stopped in at the museum, where he has volunteered every Saturday and served as a tour guide for the past two years.
The letters were written from soldiers stationed in Persia, Iran and the South Pacific, sent back to the United States to family members, Watson said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
Watson has worked closely with Jim Sellars, museum past president, and volunteer Jerry Greene, who are serving as his mentors for the senior project.
The air museum, founded in 1992, was built to capture the history of the former Atterbury Army Air Field, later named Bakalar Air Force Base. It is staffed primarily by retired volunteers, many of whom are military veterans.
The wooden display is being developed in the Thomas Vickers/John C. Walters Artifacts and Restoration Center located behind the museum.
The display will feature photocopies of each letter, along with a transcription, that will be available for the public to see beginning in March. The museum is closed until March 5 to make improvements to displays and give volunteers some time off.
Watson said he wanted his senior project to be a benefit to the community, and that it was inspired by his own personal interest in history.
“It gives people a sense of what people were going through at that particular time,” Greene said. “I think one of the things it will bring back home is the sacrifices that people were making.”
Watson estimated that he has spent three to four hours a week since October working on the display.
Watson plans to join the U.S. Navy after he graduates from North in June.
Through volunteering at the museum, Watson said he has learned more about wartime history.
“For me, it’s showing that members (of the military) shouldn’t be forgotten,” he said. “I want to commemorate that by showing the letters that these men wrote.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the museum” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum, 4742 Ray Boll Boulevard, is closed for winter upgrades and to give volunteers time off.
It will reopen to the public at 10 a.m. March 5, but special tours, library access and media center program may still be scheduled by calling 812-372-4356.
The museum’s regular hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit www.atterburybakalarairmuseum.org.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
