If you’re a space fan and are in Ohio, stop by the Museum of the U.S. Air Force to see the Apollo Fifteen Command Module. It’s on loan from the Smithsonian and is by far one of the coolest things on display right now.
Apollo Fifteen was our fourth successful moon landing and the first to use a lunar rover so this mission was special back in 1971.
Made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel, and titanium, the command module carried three astronauts. It was named for the ship Endeavour that carried Captain James Cook on his famed 18th century scientific expedition.
It’s funny because it looks both modern and ancient like some kind of time machine meant to carry brave humans across both time and space. Something about the patina makes it appear even more unusual.
I like it.
Incidentally, we knew to look for it because we asked a docent about his favorite thing in that building. He said it was hard to choose as he pointed to an airplane down the way. He had flown one just like it for thirty years. Then he directed us to this piece of history, calling it “something special to see.”
Something special indeed.
If you haven’t been to this museum, it’s a good one and admission is free. I was there last Saturday and have written a series about it each day this week. Use their website to plan your visit. Here are links to the other stories this week.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force tells a number of unexpected stories. One of those is of this gentleman, a Holocaust survivor who came to America following the war.
Six million Jewish people were exterminated by Hitler and the evil ones who followed him. These people who died were normal people just like you and I. They were men, women and children. They were old and young. Rich and poor. They were successful business people, poor farmers, musicians, academics, shopkeepers,schoolchildren and most importantly, human. None deserved the fate that awaited them in Germany’s extermination camps.
Their neighbors turned a blind eye as they were dehumanized and then dragged from their homes because it didn’t affect them.
Six million souls lost because no one stood up to do the right thing.
But one who survived this atrocity is this gentleman, Henry Wyrobnik. Born in Lodz, Poland, Henry was put in the Lodz Ghetto along with his parents, siblings and other family members. The Nazis sent them to Auschwitz in August 1944. According to the sign with his picture, he and thousands of others were taken on a Death March as Allied Forces approached in 1945.
They were given small amounts of bread as they marched for two weeks, day and night. Anyone who walked out of line or who lagged behind was shot by the Nazis. They spent another two weeks on open coal trains with nothing to eat but snow. And when people in Czechoslovakia threw food to the trains, the Czech people were shot.
Henry said that 108 people were packed on his train but only 35 survived the trip. The story goes on and is grim. In fact, it’s unbelievable that humans could be so cruel. But it’s an important piece of our history that we badly need to remember as history does indeed repeat itself.
Despite the hatred and cruelty he endured, Henry lived. He lost his entire family but he made it out alive. When Gunzkirchen was liberated in May 1945, he went to a hospital for recovery and then to a Displaced Persons Camp at Feldafing, Germany. It was here that he met Dora, another survivor who would become his wife. They came to America in 1949 where he became a business owner in Dayton. Henry and Doris had three children and seven grandsons.
I found his obituary online and learned that he died in 2007. He was 86. Dora survived him after 61 years of marriage. I do hope they were 61 happy years.
There’s more to the Holocaust exhibit but Henry is the piece of the exhibit that I always focus on. I suppose because his face contrasted with that awful number tattooed on his arm is an unapologetic reminder that he was a human. The. Nazis dehumanizied these people because they were Jewish.
Henry was a Jew. He was a survivor. He was a Holocaust survivor who lived to educate us all and to lend a face to the six million souls who were not so fortunate.
Look for this exhibit and don’t just walk by. Stop and study the words and the faces. It’s important.
Welcome back to this week’s series on the National Museum of the United States Air Force. I had a lovely visit there last Saturday and one blog story didn’t do justice to all the interesting things that I wanted to share. I have a few stories planned for this week and today’s topic is something truly unexpected.
I was delighted to see that there are some resources for the visually impaired that seem quite new. There is a ton of signage in this museum but some of the aircraft now have signs with the narrative told in braille. Each sign has a textured image of the plane and a 3D printed model of the plane.
This museum is so interactive and engaging for those of us who are fortunate to have our eyesight but I imagine it would be terribly dull for visually impaired visitors unless you had a truly great friend or guide to assist. Imagine the quality of life improvements that would be possible if there were more accommodations like this.
Long ago, I was the fair housing officer for my community. This experience gave me a different perspective on this world of ours because I see the value of providing accommodations that give equal access to housing, learning, employment and the other parts of life that contribute to independent living. Providing equal access is such an easy thing to do and it makes a tremendous difference for those who need it.
Museums are absolutely part of that and I was proud of whoever decided to make this a better place to visit. Come back tomorrow. I have a story about a survivor you’ll want to know.
If you were here yesterday, you read about the Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. I promised a deeper dive into a few specific topics from this place so here we go.
I have always liked how they tell the story of America through aviation. Starting with Civil War era military reconnaissance balloons and airplanes through all the wars, the evolution of the presidential aircraft and up to the space age, the stories are plentiful.
I noticed Saturday that an effort has been made to talk about individuals and groups whose stories haven’t been told well in museums and history books until recent years. Some of you might refer to it as a term that has been in the news a lot lately called Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity.
Personally, I call it the honest and fair telling of our nation’s history.
The last time I was there, I complained that the bulk of the stories told at this museum were about white men when we know well and good that plenty of people of color and women have served bravely and with distinction. You can tell that someone with more pull than yours truly complained as well. There’s now an area that celebrates women and the extensive contributions women have made in many ways.
They highlight Blanche Stuart Scott, the first American woman to solo in an airplane. She did it in 1910. They highlight Bessie Coleman, the first black licensed pilot in the world. She had to go to Europe to get her pilot’s license because no American flying school would allow her entrance due to her race and gender. That was in 1921. Incidentally, women had just won the right to vote a couple of years before that.
Then there’s the Women Airforce Service Pilots program (WASP) which gave us 1,830 women who enthusiastically signed up to ferry planes from factories to air force bases. Of them, Ann Baumgartner Carl was the first woman to fly a jet aircraft, fighting the stigma that women aren’t capable of handling such a plane.
Then there was Ola Rexroat, the only Native American to join the WASP. She was an Ogla Sioux who transported cargo and personnel and was one of the many women to tow aerial gunnery targets. That’s right. She towed targets for soldiers who we hoped had good aim when they fired in her direction. Tell me a woman like that doesn’t deserve a spot in this museum.
In more recent history, you’ll find Captain Kim “Killer Chick” Campbell who received the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for her heroism during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She went on to be Colonel Campbell.
Throughout the museum, there are nods to the heroic women who were pioneers as Korean War flight nurses, who lost their lives in Operation Babylift, and who flew higher as astronauts. While there’s not much detail about any of them, there’s enough to inspire little girls and middle aged women to think that dreaming sky high is still something we should all do.
It means a lot to see someone who is like you represented in a place like this. Especially when you know that there are many others like them out there just waiting to have their stories told. And of course, this is no knock against men but it’s a good reminder that women make up half the world and that they are doing their fair share to hold up their part.
Last minute cancelled plans Saturday left me with nowhere to go even though I was dressed and ready to leave the house by about 7:30 a.m. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day so I asked my fella if he was interested in a different adventure than we had planned. We opted for a trip to the National Museum of the United States Air Force and some bookshopping, because well, bookshopping is what we do best. It was a true adventure day complete with an unexpected stop for a pre-museum snack at Tudor’s Biscuit World and lots of cool museum stuff to appreciate.
Dayton, Ohio is the well documented birthplace of aviation and the Dayton/Cincinnati region made quite the hub for the innovative technology that is necessary for aviation and aerospace development. We are fortunate to have so many cool aviation related spots in the Dayton area and the grandmama of them all is the Air Force Museum.
As many times as I go, I still stand in awe of some of these planes, missiles and artifacts. I still seek out the stories of the people who bring the legends of these great machines to life. I still become overwhelmed by the awesome amount of knowledge and inspiration accessible in one place.
And it’s no wonder. This museum dates to May 1923 and it is a world-renowned center for what the museum calls “air and space power technology and culture preservation.” Friends, there are 20 indoor acres as well as outdoor spaces to explore.
You know something? It’s all FREE. Admission, the parking, the tours – all free. There are ways to spend money – you can buy tickets for some simulators, you can buy food and there are museum souvenirs as well. But you can also pack a picnic to eat outside, skip the gift shop and make this the most extraordinary frugal adventure day you’ve ever encountered.
IF you like history and airplanes, of course. If you hang out here with me, I assume you like those things because I talk about them all the time.
Every time I go, I think I should spend a couple of hours exploring a single area of the museum like just early aviation or just Vietnam. It would be less overwhelming and I could absorb more information. Of course, I never manage to do that because I want to see everything! Plus, they do sometimes rotate items in and out so there’s a good chance there is something new to see when you only go occasionally.
I always look forward to seeing this fifties era experimental aircraft called the Avro Canada VZ-9AV Avrocar. It was part of Canada’s effort to develop a supersonic, vertical takeoff and landing fighter bomber and it looks like a flying saucer! Read more about that here.
Seeing this display of World War II era bomber jackets always makes me wonder what happened to the men who wore them. Did they make it home safe? Did they ever dream their jacket would be exhibited in a world renowned museum?
And then there are new things like the Apollo 15 Command Module Endeavour which is on loan from the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
Of course, I don’t always approve of their changes. I told you a few years ago about the Memphis Belle being permanently installed here. I took my dad and we had a fabulous day including the exploration of the Memphis Belle exhibit which included biographies and pictures of all the crew and a thought provoking explanation of why this plane is so important.
They seem to have taken away all of those extras and have downgraded to just a small sign that makes the Memphis Belle seem like any other plane. Hopefully they will rotate all that back in at another time because the story is important. Read more about that here.
I have written about this museum some here but there are a few specific stories I want to tell so I will spend this week highlighting some of them. Come back tomorrow to get started.
Money is personal. How much we have, what we lack, why we save it, where we keep it, and how we spend it are all very personal topics.
It’s month two of my No Spend Challenge with looser rules to accommodate my current life needs. I have eaten restaurant food a few times – either by choice or necessity. My fella and I celebrated Valentine’s Day. I bought a pack of gum I didn’t need. But I haven’t been out shopping the winter sale racks or binge buying all the things I thought of during my very strict January No Spend Challenge. In fact, I did find a small rug for my bedroom but otherwise haven’t been out buying from my January wish list.
It has been pretty good. I have put some extra money toward debt and haven’t had to sweat over my soaring winter heating costs. Like everyone else though, what’s leftover each month is shrinking and it appears this will worsen.
This challenge is not just about not saving money. It’s about assessing priorities. If I feel an urge to shop, I commonly ask myself if I want trinkets now or if I want adventure later. Would I prefer those dollars in savings for something better another day?
What is it that I value? At this stage in life, I value, learning, exploration, home, and having a reliable car that will take me to work so I can support myself. I also value giving my little former street urchin of a cat the life he thinks he deserves.
And it’s a good life, I assure you.
Is my spending in line with these things? This is the real question at play here. Will the choices I make at the checkout support the things I just named? Or will they detract from those things I value?
A No Spend Challenge also encourages deeper questions. One of those involves who I spend my money with. For example, I mostly value a brick and mortar business more than an online one. That’s because a business that invests in a community presence is investing in the community. This is done in many ways including through occupying vacant space, payroll, local taxes, and supporting local fundraisers for the chamber or schools.
Plus, the employees and owners get to know their customers and do their darndest to keep them happy.
Walmart says “here’s a product that appeals to the lowest common denominator. Take it or leave it.” Amazon sells everything you’ll ever need but they don’t invest locally. They don’t care if your kids’ team needs new uniforms and they won’t answer the call to help when the VFW van needs repairs. That’s a burden for local businesses to share.
But I’m paying more and more attention to how businesses invest their money and who they support politically. If their values don’t align with mine in the vaguest of ways, I tend to spend less. It’s a pain because sometimes that means going to one place for some things I can’t get anywhere else locally and then to another store or two for the rest. It’s a small price to pay knowing that I’m not handing over all my money to a company that financially supports things I do not believe in.
I feel better knowing that I’m doing something, not out of spite, but out of principle. The bottom line is the only thing that matters to most companies. Why would I give them my hard earned money if I feel like they use it to work against me?
Other beneficial lines of thinking and questions come from my No Spend Challenge. Most them center on waste and excess. Food waste is a big one as I take big steps to prevent waste during a challenge. Although, I’m sad to report that I have been so busy and so mentally tired for the last couple of weeks, there has been more waste than normal. It happens and I’m back on track now. Forgiveness is important too.
I also think about the cost of clutter. When we don’t know what we own, we often buy things thinking we are doing good. Clutter takes up space in closets and drawers and can weigh us down mentally. I have a coworker who has empty closets in her home and I just can’t fathom what that must be like. My closets are all full and attempts to slim down their contents never seem to go as planned.
I also learn things about myself and my values. I recently realized I have a hard time letting go of things there are nice, that are a good brand or that I might need someday. Case in point: I was gifted a set of KitchenAid pots and pans about twenty years ago. This is a good brand and I have always liked them. The two skillets wore out years ago but the pots and lids are still in decent condition. They look ok. Things stick sometimes in the big pot but they get the job done.
The problem is that they take up a lot of cabinet space and I would like to have a set that nests. I have looked at a few sets but can never pull the trigger. After all, what’s left of the old set is a good brand and they still work ok.
Never mind that I have definitely gotten good use from them and they aren’t serving me as well as I would like. Of course, I might have room to store them if I would weed out some other stuff I don’t need.
I’m a work in progress, friends.
This No Spend Challenge seems like such an innocent thing! Stop shopping, save some money, break some bad habits! But it really is a rabbit hole of sorts. You know something? I like a good rabbit hole and I like when I force myself to question my own beliefs and ways of doing things.
Are you doing some version of a No Soend Challenge? Tell me about it!!
