I'm back out on the road just 10 days after returning from Hawaii! I'm squeezing in a swing through the southeast US before heading back to the classroom. No I do not have any pictures up for this posting, sorry. I have taken quite a few! Just did not have a chance to peruse them and choose which ones I wanted to post. I will post some in a few days, but wanted to give an update.
Drove to Alabama and along way attempted to find an unusual marker in Laurel, Mississippi; the memorial was to a group of local southerners who had resisted the Confederacy and actually declared the "Free State of Jones". The memorial was financed by a northerner. Unfortunately I did not have a great description or location and after about an hour of driving from one end of town to the other I had to move on. I still ended up arriving in Montgomery pretty late and had some rain to deal with as well.
Next day was better as found all I had planned and more in the Alabama capitol. I really enjoyed the RAF pilots section of the Oakwood Cemetery as it is classically British in nature but was surprised there was a large contingent of French military graves as well. And I discovered a Confederate burial section in the cemetery; it was the location for a large number of burials of soldiers who died in local hospitals.
I then had a nice drive to Columbus, Georgia and Fort Benning. The base is home to the National Infantryman Museum which traditionally was located on post along with a whole slew of memorials to individual units as well as the national Ranger memorial. I had conversed with an Army historian and so had a pretty good idea of what I could use for my project. The museum has been moved to a new location just outside the base gates and is FABULOUS! It is state of the art and also includes a Soldier's Center. Many of the people pulling up in cars are families of new soldiers who come to learn about the life upon which they have embarked. The museum not only catalogs the history of the US infantryman but also the lifestyle and roles of their families. So it was very interesting to watch the various reactions. The museum has interactive exhibits and a wonderful walk through exhibit that includes panaromas and videos and sound; it is quite good and moving. They were also preparing for a big black-tie shindig (and fundraiser) event marking the anniversary of the end of hostilities in WWII in the Pacific.
I had a great drive around the base as well and finally found the Sacrifice Field that houses all of the current unit/division memorials. Most of these are slated to be moved to the new museum grounds in the future; currently there is only a single one at that location. The old site is really quite majestic and sits adjacent to the old museum building that reminds one of a different era. While the base is somewhat quiet currently with so many units deployed, they are doing some major renovations as the Armor School is moving to Fort Benning from Fort Knox in Kentucky! Part of base realignment. The national Ranger Memorial is really impressive as well and I do not believe it will be moving. There is a Ranger training area on base that sits adjacent to the memorial and really exemplifies the history of the Rangers in the US Army.
Finally with much of my work done late in the afternoon, I was able to amble over to the golf course on the base and get in a round of golf. The base has 3 sets of 9 holes of golf that are rated: easy, medium and hard. They are also named for famous generals: Bradley, Marshall, and Patton; I bet you can guess even without my having listed them in order which-is-which! LOL Unfortunately, the playing conditions were a little tough as the temperature was around 95 degrees with 100% humidity! Whew I started sweating before I even loaded up the golf cart, but the heat did not deter me. I chose to play the Marshall and Patton courses and actually shot better on the Patton (hard) course than the Marshall 9. Finished with an 83 so not bad. Very few folks out that late in afternoon and heat - even tough Army guys!
From Benning, I went on down to Americus, Georgia for the night as I wanted to see Andersonville National Historic Site and I could start there the next morning. I must say it was worth the trip, but more on that and pictures later.
