My husband is a Veteran of the “Vietnam-era”. He and his friends were all drafted at the same time in the early years of Vietnam. His 2 friends were sent to Vietnam and the “luck-of-the-draw” sent my husband to Germany. My husband was the ONLY one of the friends who came back home. It was at the funeral of his his BEST friend, that he made the “PROMISE” to not forget. That promise is the underlying theme of the Museum. We have a lot of artifacts, but, we strive toward the ‘personal’ and to tell about an item by telling the Veteran’s story. Evidently you have a connection to Vietnam, or you wouldn’t be doing what you are doing.

I was taken to visit the wall by my principal in 1995. She was there to accept an academic award, but insisted that the Board of Education pay for me to go due to my work in Veteran’s Support.

The first time that I walked through the trees and saw that beautiful monument, I could feel ‘it’. I began to tear, I began to shudder.
She walked me through the trees and stopped. She told me that she heard me GASP!

My knees became weak. I couldn’t move. I stared, awestruck at the blackness. A few minutes passed, and I stepped shakily forward,,,toward that glistening structure to the first panel. I stepped back to the grassy edge, unsure of what to do. Through tear-dimmed eyes I watched others. Then I stepped forward, and with a shaking finger traced the etched letters of the first name I could see…I don’t even remember the name now. I felt a strange electricity surge through me. What this person speaking to me? Or was it the emotion of being in the spiritual presence of the honorable heroes? I didn’t feel worthy of the privilege.

I KNEW I had to get my husband there to make his peace at the guilt he felt at losing childhood friends in Vietnam. The following summer, I took him there and it started him on the healing process that became the Museum. He made a graveside “PROMISE” as pallbearer at his best friend’s funeral.

He promised: “I will not let anyone forget you.”