We went to the National WWII Museum today. The campus is impressive with several buildings connected by pedestrian bridges.
Since today was the day before National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, the museum was very busy. There were a few bus loads of folks coming in; the vast majority of them were in their later years. There were also several members of the military in uniform making their way through the exhibits.
The exhibits are very thorough and very immersive. Some areas of the museum have Disney-like experiences in that there’s a lot of lighting and sound and other creative effects to give an impression of what it was like for soldiers during the various battles around the world. The museum also has a “dog tag” that you scan as you enter the self-guided tour. The software then assigns you a member of the armed forces from WWII and you learn about their specific experience as you make your way through the various exhibits. The educational use of technology was very impressive. The soldier I learned about didn’t talk about his experience for 60 years after he returned home, but finally made his story known and contributed to the video and audio experience narrated by the interactive software.
In my school days we always tackled history chronologically and it always seemed like there was rarely time to discuss World War II and more recent wars. I learned a lot today and the WWII Museum should be a must-see for any American that is able to stop by the campus.
Highly recommended.
