Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center

The Museum of the American Military Family is mounting an exhibit, “Host Nation Hospitality,” in Weil im Schönbuch, Germany. The exhibit highlights the friendships and relationships between America’s military forces, families, and people from formerly enemy nations who have now become allies and friends.

Four military-connected people created the exhibit: museum founder and director Circe Olson Woessner, a military wife and mom; WWII/Occupation Army veteran Allen Dale Olson, artist Barbara Beck-Azar, a brat and military/veteran spouse; and writer Valerie Bonham Moon, a military brat, veteran, and spouse, and also the museum’s 2020-2022 Writer-in-Residence. They each bring a unique perspective to the content they curated.

Host Nation Hospitality’s seventeen exquisite panels delve into various topics, answering questions and highlighting international intersections. These include the DoDEA school system’s innovative “Host Nation” language programs, the University of Maryland’s campuses in garrisons and war zones, a German town’s transformation of a former American inner border outpost into a “House of Peace” museum, the German War Graves Commission’s tribute to an American soldier, and a German city’s preservation of the former US military library.

Woessner says the exhibit shows how organizations and people continue the work of past collaborations in the present while keeping an eye on the future.

“Military life is very transient, so we military families cram as many new experiences as possible into our lives because we know we will move in a few years. We are often nostalgic, remembering our overseas postings and wondering what became of the installation we once were stationed at. What happened after we left?”

Host Nation Hospitality is a collaboration between the museum and half a dozen national and international organizations. Many military-connected service organizations sponsored the exhibit. The museum is thankful for the following organization’s support:

• Loyal Order of the Moose-Belen Lodge 1680
• Fraternal Order of Eagles-Alamogordo Aerie #4104
• Stuttgart Community Spouses Club
• American Legion Post #117, Clovis
• Fraternal Order of Eagles-Las Cruces Aerie #4038
• American Legion Post #44, Elephant Butte
• Loyal Order of the Moose-Alamogordo Lodge 2016

Host Nation Hospitality will run from October 6 through December 30, 2024, and is open to visitors during town hall business hours. Monday: 8:30–15:00, Tuesday,Wednesday: 8:30–noon, and Thursday: 14:00–18:00.

The Rathaus is located at Marktplatz 3, Weil im Schönbuch, Germany.

For more information, contact the museum at info@militaryfamilymuseum.org.

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home– John Howard Payne (Home Sweet Home)

In her preface to  HOME: It’s Complicated, Editor Circe Olson Woessner makes clear that with all its complexities and nuances, home might be complicated, but it’s always home. That message is reinforced over and over in each of these 50-some moving, personal stories–home is not a place but a feeling in a place with family and the people you love.

Anyone who has spent time in the military or government service has experienced frequent relocations to all parts of the country and around the world. They have become used to the question, “Where are you from?”

The answer? Where–When? These authors have all experienced returning to a birthplace, a school, an installation, or a former apartment or house and finding it closed, destroyed, modified beyond recognition, or occupied by strangers, and their stories tell how they felt about their return: Sentimental. Disappointed. Nostalgic. Angry. Homesick. Or all of the above.

But they all come to the same conclusion. Home is where you are with family or people who seem like family. Whether in Germany or Texas, Japan or California, home is not so much where I came from, but possibly, where I’ll be going–so long as I’m with family.

Blogger and memoirist Connie Kinsey, the museum’s Writer-in-Residence, wrote nine essays and co-edited the anthology. As a former military “brat” who has finally rooted herself in West Virginia, Home: It’s Complicated was her brainchild, as she, too, has long struggled with the concept of  “where is home.” The theme also resonates with the forty-seven contributors hailing from four continents, each bringing a unique perspective on the concept of home. In all, there are 604 mentions of “home” in Home: It’s Complicated.

Home: It’s Complicated is now available through Amazon and is a fitting accompaniment to earlier MAMF anthologies–Schooling with Uncle Sam and Host Nation Hospitality, both also available through Amazon. Connie Kinsey blogs at http://wvfurandroot.com.

Today, our museum has reached the age of 13, a significant milestone in any institution’s life. We’re on the brink of a new phase, ready to embrace opportunities and challenges. With our talented board’s guidance and friends’ support, we’re striding forward.

Many of you have been with us since the beginning, while others have joined us along the way. We’ve made significant progress from our humble beginnings to our current status. We’ve had ups and downs and have experienced highs and lows. We’ve come far, learned valuable lessons, and accomplished many things along the way.

As we step into our 13th year, we want to thank you, our friends, those who have been alongside us the whole time, and those who have just joined us recently. Thank you all for your encouragement and support. We couldn’t have done it without you.

We look forward to continuing with you on our journey!

IN 2024, the museum welcomed several new volunteer board members, including Richard Tavares, Director of Marketing, Chris Apriceno, Director of Public Affairs, Erik Woessner, Associate Director of Technology, and Cathy Sydlo Wilkes, Development Director. MAMF also brought on UNM student Misti Starkey-Jones as museum manager.

While the museum is still temporarily closed while it transitions to its new location, look for MAMF to offer exciting programming, pop-up exhibits, interesting podcasts and several new anthology projects.

Follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to keep up to date on MAMF’s doings.