WWII Remembrance Day at Atlanta History Center
What better way to celebrate Memorial Day than a trip to the Atlanta History Center for a WWII Remembrance celebration?
As homeschoolers, we’re always on the lookout for ways the kids can learn history by interacting with people who have actually experienced the events they’re learning about. And, since this event promised that we would be able to meet and speak to WWII veterans and see some of their personal memorabilia, it really fit the bill. There would also be living history interpreters representing British and Soviet soldiers who would be dressed in authentic uniforms and would have authentic WWII equipment.
The kids were engaged from the moment we got there. Outside the entrance were 2 WWII military jeeps and 2 living history interpreters dressed in full military gear. They told us all about the jeeps, showed us where the different weapons were stored and what they were used for. Then it was time for a few pictures. 
Once inside the exhibition hall, the first people we met were from the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah. They were wonderful people and we’ve added the museum to our list of “must visit” places.
One of the veterans we met at the Mighty Eighth table was a P51 pilot named “Punchy” Powell. You can see some pictures of Punchy with his aircraft at the 352nd Fighter Group website.
Not only was Punchy delightful to speak with, he also went into detail with the kids about some of his missions - flying over a German airstrip at 50 feet over the ground and having the tail portion of his plane shot off as he ascended at the end of the field. He made it back to base but the other pilot flying the mission with him wasn’t so lucky. He was shot down and spent the remainder of the war in a POW camp.
Here’s a picture of the kids with Punchy.
Next we met George Sossenko who was with the Free French, US Army Infantry in North Africa and Italy. George, who’s now 90, shared that he was a Frenchman living in Argentina when the war broke out.
Here’s Mr. Sossenko with his uniform, maps of the battles he participated in and a wonderful book of acknowledgments that he’s received over the years from many different government officials and community organizations.
Then we moved on to the kids favorite, the weapons table. I didn’t catch this gentleman’s name, but he had a very impressive collection of WWII weapons and memorabilia. He explained the different types of weapons and told us when and why they were used.
He shared a lot of practical information that you don’t find in history books, like some of the reasons why most of the soldiers removed the netting from their helmets while fighting the Japanese.
Do you know why? It was because the Japanese used netting on their helmets and our soldiers didn’t want to be mistaken for a Japanese soldier in the fighting!
Our next stop was with the Russian living history interpreters. This couple are both WWII history buffs and volunteered to share their collection of Russian memorabilia at the event. They were even generous enough to let the kids try on the hats and pose with them for pictures.
There was much, much more - like Janice Benario, who was an Enigma code breaker with the WAVES (you can listen to her story here - http://www.pba.org/programming/programs/atlantavoices_worldwar2/ - just scroll down the page) and the living history interpreter representing WAAF (the women’s arm of the Royal Air Force), the glider pilot and the paratrooper.
Once again, the Atlanta History Center comes through with a top notch event. I hope they do this one again in the future.
The stories we heard that day, really pointed out what a debt of gratitude we owe these men and women. They were willing to put their lives on the line for us and bravely defend the freedoms many of us now take for granted. So take some time, find a veteran and say “thank you”. They more than deserve it.
If you want to find out more about the Atlanta History Center and see some of the exhibits they have coming soon, visit www.AtlantaHistoryCenter.com.
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About SharpMom
Hi, I'm Katie. I’ve been successfully working at home and homeschooling my kids for the past 14 years, so I figured it’s time to get out there and start sharing what I’ve learned along the way. I'm glad you're here to join in the fun!
