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Mission Update! August 2013!
News from the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force
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Let the Mighty 8th be a part of your Legacy
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For more information about Planned Gifts and the Mighty Eighth Foundation, please contact Pam Vining
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National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Legacy of Honor Program
Please help us keep admission free for World War II Veterans by donating $10 to the "Legacy of Honor Program" Follow the link below to make your donation.
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Summer Camp was a Victory!
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by Heather Thies
The Mighty Eighth has held a Flying Legends Summer Camp for five years teaching campers about the 8th AF and its role in WWII. Since so much interest was shown in the army ground troop actions of WWII, the education department decided to launch a combat camp this year with the help of local Ft. Stewart Army soldiers. The new camp's purpose is to help campers learn and understand the training and discipline needed to be a soldier in WWII and today. The campers had a blast in June as they were taught marching, recon, battle strategies, proper weapons handling, airborne jump training and even knot tying. Their favorite march was marching along to the cadence of the theme song to the cartoon Sponge Bob Square Pants. (Most army cadences as you know are not suitable for summer campers.) We studied European WWII battles, then recreated them on the land adjacent to the museum. Students even rushed a hill and surrounded a "German" encampment after mock parachute landing off boxes into Normandy. We used water balloon "grenade training" to cool them off after and even marched through a very watery mud pit.
Then to fully demonstrate the repercussions and consequences of battle and war, campers were taught medic/first aid training. Luckily, we did not have any real casualties during our combat camp. (There was not a single fire ant or wasp bite unlike the Flying Legend Camps seem to have. I hope this does not jinx the July camp.) We never even got out the band aids except for the education department's blisters caused by wearing real army combat boots for authenticity. Our campers went home exhausted and excited every day understanding a little better that war is not pleasant even if it is sometimes necessary and our soldiers deserve respect and honor for all they do. The education department and museum would like to thank whole heartedly JCB, our wonderful neighbor for the use of their land and the U.S. Army Ft. Stewart soldiers who came every day and worked so well with the campers. See next month's article to see how well July combat campers fare in their quest to become soldiers.
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by Heather Thies
James has been volunteering with the education department this summer while on break. He has been a huge help with summer camp, school age tours and many other things. James is fourteen and just graduated from eighth grade at Blessed Sacrament and will attend Islands High School in Savannah next year. He enjoys playing football and fishing. James came to volunteer at the museum because he loves history, the museum and he wanted to help out. He has been a tremendous help this summer.
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Every day, 50,000 students attend a school where the Museum sponsored Character Counts!® education program is the standard code of conduct. This year, Henry Skipper, President and CEO, was invited to Marshpoint Elementary to hear a presentation on "a great American who made a positive impact on society." Third grade student Annemarie honored Sam Najarian, a World War II B-17 Navigator and Mighty Eighth volunteer. Annemarie met Sam at the Mighty Eighth's Character Counts! ® Community Celebration prior to his death last February. Annemarie often visited when Sam was volunteering in the Museum's Mission Experience. Annemarie cherished her new friendship. During the presentation, Annemarie wore an authentic World War II uniform and spoke on Sam's World War II heroics and the character of Sam's generation. The powerful stories of the Mighty Eighth are impacting our community. We truly are Honoring the Past and Inspiring the Future. Please contribute to the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the efforts of Honoring the Past and Inspiring the Future. Your generous donations help support the many projects and programs sponsored by the Mighty Eighth, including the "City of Savannah" restoration, the Character Counts! education program, and the many exhibits showcasing the heroism of World War II.The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is a 501c(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Please contact Meghan Lowe, Director of Development at 912-988-1847 to donate.
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Become a Member!
Become a member today and help support "one of the world's most powerful museum experiences." As a member of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, you are entitled to unlimited admission for one year, subscription to the Museum e-newsletter, a 10% discount at the Museum Gift Store, and a personalized membership card. Memberships range from $25 to $1,000 for individuals and families! Benefits for Wing Commander and Squadron Leader levels include a private tour of the B-17 Flying Fortress "City of Savannah." Join today to support the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force!
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Our buyer is back from Market and we have exciting new merchandise coming soon. We need to make room for it.
During August all hats will be 10% off. Our military albums, scrap books and photo frames are marked down to 50% off. Hurry while supplies last. 
The camo backpacks have been such a big hit with both the boys and the girls, we brought in pink ones. They look great! All backpacks are just $6.99. This month we are featuring 2 books that are a must read, A Higher Call and Fly Boys. Both books are an excellent read. Shop the National Museum of the Mighty EIghth Air Force Museum Online Store Today!
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| Dewell Ballard: Donor of the Nazi Banner |
by Dr. Vivian Rogers-Price The Nazi banner hanging in the Museum's Prelude to War Exhibit Gallery has an interesting history. In May 1945 while in Madgeburg, Germany, with his unit, infantry man Dewell Ballard found it in an arsenal. Ballard took the banner back to the United States with him and was honorably discharged in October 1945. He returned to his home in Benton, Arkansas and over the years discussed his military service with his friend, Arthur Wright. In 1993 Wright published his book, My Country Called, with memoirs of World War II veterans from Saline County, Arkansas. Wright also knew Major General Lewis E. Lyle who in 1983 began planning a museum to honor the men and women who served in the Mighty Eighth. Wright knew of Ballard's Nazi banner and introduced him to Lyle. Ballard donated the banner to this Museum, and it was on display when the Museum opened to the public on 14 May 1996. As Ballard hoped, this banner continues to remind us of the price the men and women of the World War II era paid for freedom.  View of the Prelude to War Exhibit Gallery with the Nazi banner given to the Museum by Dewell Ballard
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Now featuring Monarch Benches
Years from now, imagine the feelings a young family will experience when they see and touch a memorial to one of their own - perhaps a grandfather or great-uncle, recognized for their unselfish heroism, sacrifice, and valor. Their legacy lives on, thanks to your thoughtful gift today to the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Memorial Bench Project.
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Miss Sophie: Embracing a love for cherries
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by Teri Bell
 | | Article courtesy of Savannah Morning News. |
One day last week Steve came home from the grocery store with a "present" for me. "A big present" he said as he pulled out a big bag of fresh cherries. I pounced on them immediately and finished them off by the next day. They're like the potato chip ad - you can't eat just one. I only discovered cherries within the last 10 years - fresh cherries, that is. My dear mother-in-law packed a container of washed cherries for us to enjoy with cheese and wine on a trip we took together. They were astonished that I had never had fresh cherries. Steve reminisced about his mother always having fresh cherries in the refrigerator during the summer. But then Steve grew up in Pennsylvania, which is much closer to two cherry producing states - Michigan and Wisconsin - than Hazlehurst, Ga., is.
Before my late-in-life experience of sweet, fresh cherry juice as I bit into the dark red flesh and the skillful art of eating it without cracking a tooth on the pit, the word cherry conjured up images of the bottles of bright red cherries soaking in syrup in my grandmother's refrigerator. Or the first time my Aunt Jenny made a Shirley Temple for us by mixing Sprite and the red syrup from that jar in the refrigerator, complete with a bright red cherry, stem and all, floating in it. The same cherries appeared on the Sunday ham with pineapple rings. Of course when no one was looking I would steal a cherry or two, then hide my red tinted fingers behind my back so no one would know.
I'm all grown up now and I have a wonderful husband who always brings me a bag or two of cherries during season - and then says "you should write about cherries," and thus a Wednesday column is born.
Teri Bell is co-owner of Miss Sophie's Marketplace at the Mighty Eighth in Pooler. Go to sophiesmarketplace.com.
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National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force | 912.748.8888 | m8afnews@mightyeighth.org | http://www.mightyeighth.org
175 Bourne Avenue
(I-95 at Exit 102)
Pooler, GA 31322
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