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 August 2009
Mission Update! News from the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum |
Vol 9, Issue 1 |
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175 Bourne Ave
Pooler, GA 31322
912.748.8888
Open daily 9:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m.
(Closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving & Christmas) |
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Pooler Crossroads Chamber Hosts
Business & Consumer Expo |
The Business & Consumer Expo was held on Thursday
July 16 at The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum.
Local business owners as well as the general public came to see the two-hour long event which show cased local vendors and gave the public a chance to learn more about the services they offer.
Display tables lined the Gen. Lewis E. Lyle Rotunda and vendors gave out everything from information packets to bags filled with goodies.
The Mighty Eighth Events Department also had a booth advertising The Biggest Little Christmas Party....
Friday December 18, 2009; 6:30 - 11:00 PM Are you a small but fun business seeking an effortless, economical solution to your Christmas Party budget blues? Come Rock Around our Christmas Tree & join us for a Jingle Bell Rock!
For more information contact
Holly Kirkpatrick 912.748.8888 x 160 |
| Museum Events For the month of August |
Air Force Day: August 1
In honor of Air Force Day all Air Force Veterans will receive half off their admission to the Museum.
Model Airplane Building Class:
Saturday August 22, 2009. 10am, 1pm, & 3pm. Free children's model airplane building class and child's admission with the purchase of a model airplane. World War II model airplanes are available in the the Museum Gift Store.
Unique model airplanes will be on display in the Museum's Rotunda August 21 - 23.
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| July Summer Camp |
During summer camp the students experience a crash course in crew member training. Campers first complete pilot training and learn the science of how a plane is able to fly by viewing the principles of thrust, lift, weight and drag. 
Jet engine versus propeller engine attributes are discussed. Wing and fuselage designs are tested in the wind tunnel. After completing this, they move up to the library in small groups to try out the B-17 Flying Fortress Flight Simulator. Unfortunately, despite their video game prowess, many need more practice not to crash.
Next campers learn about navigation using maps, stars, math and land marks comparing that technique with today's GPS navigational systems. They also see the tools a navigator carried in his briefcase and how he used them to guide the plane to the Initial Point and Target of the Day.
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B-17 Restoration Update |
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The B-17 "City of Savannah" restoration is moving along nicely at its six month mark. CEO Henry Skipper, Project Manager Jerry McLaughlin, and Operations Coordinator Jim Grismer signed off on the Strategic Plan for the restoration on July 22nd. This important document will guide the restoration of the aircraft to completion. The outside of the aircraft has been cleaned and polishing is nearly finished. Contact has been made with several members of the nationwide warbird restoration community which has resulted in excellent advice on how to best continue with the project. Cleaning and painting of the interior of the aircraft is the next stage of the project.
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"City of Savannah" |
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Contribute to the B-17 Project!
You can be a part of history and the
Museum's B-17 Project.
The Museum appreciates all financial gifts, and for $100 or more you will receive a certificate of participation, suitable for framing, which recognizes your part in this historic Museum event. 
Please make all checks payable to
"B-17 Project" and mail to:
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
P. O. Box 1992
Savannah, GA 31402.
If you would like to pay by credit card, please call Tameka Ford at
912-748-8888 ext 101. |
| Remembrance: A Memorial Exhibit |
Remembrance: A Memorial Exhibit
An exhibit dedicated to U.S. servicemen and women who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan and to those who continue to serve, the exhibit will be on display August 3 - 15, in the Lewis E. Lyle Rotunda at the Mighty Eighth. Admission to this exhibit is free.
"Remembrance" is a collective, collaborative artistic response to loss that, in it's purest intent, is to honor fallen service members, as well as those who continue to serve. It is dedicated to families who continue to sacrifice, not only through death, but time away from loved ones.
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| Colonial Group Art Gallery |
 The Museum is proud to announce the Colonial Group Inc. Foundation has generously agreed to fund the renovation of the Museums Art Gallery. The Colonial Group Art Gallery will get a new tile floor, new track lighting, draperies and removable center walls for the display of additional art. When completed our Art Gallery will be a premier exhibit gallery for Aviation Art, thanks to the Colonial Group Foundation. | |
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| Night at the Museum |
Bunking In!
Experience a Night at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
Experience the Museum at night with a unique tour by Rosie the Riveter, learn the techniques of a bombing mission, explore the combat gallery by flashlight and relax while watching a movie before bedtime. For more information |
Museum Staff
Brenda Elmgren
Director of Development
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Call for Volunteers
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| Do you have a few spare hours? Need something fun and exciting to do? Do you enjoy meeting people from all over the country and World? If you answered "Yes" to any of the these questions, the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum is the perfect place for you to volunteer your
time. 
Volunteers Ed and Betty Robarts
To be a volunteer or for more information, please call
Heather Thies, 912.748.8888
ext 106, or email her education@mightyeighth.org
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Upcoming Features!
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Be sure to see our next edition of the "Mission Update!" online newsletter for the latest news, "What's New in the Archives", "World War II Memorial Updates", and much more.
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Turn your Gold into a Museum Donation
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| With gold at an
All-Time-High, Anderson Jewelers is buying your unwanted gold.
Come into Anderson Jewelers in Savannah, GA to sell your scrap gold and 10% of the sale will be donated to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. Be sure to mention the Mighty Eighthto get credit for your gold.
For more information, call Janice at 912.355.8515 or
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| Make your Donation Count! |
Would you like to make your donation to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum work harder? If your company has a matching gift program, you can double the impact of your contribution. Matching your gift is simple; ask your human resources department if your company has a matching gift program. Most companies have a short for you need to complete and send in with your donation. That's all there is to it! The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum will do the rest.
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| Museum Restaurant |
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As of August 1, Matt Cohen of the New South Pub will no longer be open for business. Matt will be pursuing his career as an educator with the Savannah Technical College's Culinary Arts Program. | |
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| The Mighty Eighth Store |
The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum Gift Store is a unique shopping experience. In it you will find everything from clothing, jewelry, and books to models, patches and pins, and collectibles found nowhere else in this area.
Click on the link below to begin shopping today.
This crystal will look great on a Veteran's desk at work, or proudly displayed on the mantel at home --
a MUST have! We guarantee it will be a huge hit with the Veteran in your family.
Also available in Air Force, Marine.
This hand-cut hand-polished diamond is roughly 4" round by 2.5" deep. This high quality diamond will make a handsome addition to your desk, study or den. The collectible comes with a Jewelry Gift Box!!
Also Available in Army, Marine.
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Museum Volunteer Tom Mehrlich
by Heather Thies |
Tom Mehrlich Tom Mehrlich was born in Hawaii, living on Oahu in the town of Kahala when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was only a child; however he holds on to many memories. He vividly remembers his father digging a bomb shelter in the backyard just after the attack. That same day many of the windows of the home were shattered as a result of the firing of the American cannons on Diamond Head and Coco Head.  Groups of Japanese torpedo planes came over his home at treetop level, headed for Pearl Harbor during both assaults.
Tom was later told that the Japanese used the home to line up the run for Pearl Harbor. His family had the only two story home in Kahala Beach at the time. All women and children were required to leave Hawaii as soon as possible. His family had to leave their home some 120 days or so after the assault. They became a part of a large convoy of ships and were assigned to the SS Aquatania.
On the third night at sea the convoy was attacked by Japanese submarines. Several ships were sunk, one in front of theirs and one in the rear of the convoy. Those ships remaining in the convoy then shifted their heading for the Alaska coast, working down to California and arriving to port three days late. Authorities thought they had all been lost at sea. Read Full Story |
| The Tribute Towers |
Welcome to Veterans Tribute Towers!
 The Veterans Tribute Towers stand as a lasting tribute to honor the past of America's veterans, as a salute to our present veterans, and an inspiration for to witness. They are a new addition to the "Garden of Folded Wings" Columbarium.
Our goal is to pay tribute to all military personnel, from every service branch, and from every time period in American History. These are the brave men and women who have sacrificed to keep this nation free for the last 233 years and they deserve our respect.
A plaque on the Veteran Tribute Towers is a unique way for you to pay tribute to our fallen heroes; and to remember the servicemen and women who are no longer with us today.
Within these towers you are able to pay homage to Medal of Honor Recipients, Prisoners of War, Generals, Admirals, as well as the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines whose story has not been told. All performed honorable service to this nation and many of them gave their life to keep us free. The Tribute Towers are solid red granite and the plaques are magnificent bronze. They are a fitting memorial to our heroes.
Also Available with the Veteran Tribute Tower; The Memory Medallion The Memory Medallion is a whole new way to honor lives and events. With the Memory Medallion, we can connect with our ancestors and families in ways never before possible. We can look into their faces and see family resemblances. We can read of their lives, their hopes and dreams, their accomplishments. Let their story be told,. With the simple application of the Memory Medallion, you can honor their past and preserve their legacy.
Behind each memorial is the story of a unique human being. Someone who lived and worked and laughed and dreamed. Someone who was loved. Someone worth remembering. And yet, as time passes, our memory of those who have gone before us may fade. When that happens, something valuable is lost-not just to us, but to future generations.
The Memory Medallion brings the past to life in the most vivid and meaningful way possible. What a beautiful way to share memories.
Purchase a Memory Medallion today: because every life has a story- and that story deserves to be told.
For more information please contact Peggy Harden: 912.748.8888 x 103 |
| Museum Update |
Summer at the Mighty Eighth has been a very eventful time. We have hosted the American Society of Aviation Artists for their annual exhibit and forum, The Savannah Convention and Visitors Bureau for a reception, Bomb Group Reunions, and many other events on a weekly basis that has kept everyone extremely busy. Our Admissions are running well ahead of last year as more and more people visit us from all over the country and the world. The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum truly is "One of the world's most powerful Museum Experiences" and more and more people are discovering that everyday.
I hope you enjoy reading this month's newsletter. We will bring you up to date on many of the projects currently under way here at the Museum.
We are always grateful for your support and hope you will feel free to share with us any comments or ideas you may have that can help us improve.
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| Tell Us What You Think! |
You are very important to us. We have created a short survey to help us improve membership privileges and encourage others to join. Please take a moment to answer the questions and offer suggestions. We are open to ideas and want to hear from you. Click here to begin the survey.
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