Category: Events

MAMF’s Summer News

Events, Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family, News, The Board of Directors

The Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center (MAMF) had a very eventful summer. On July 9, we had a ribbon cutting and opened the doors to very own space right next to the very famous Molly’s Bar.img_0415

We are happy to be part of the vibrant East Mountain community—our home in Tijeras is right on historic Route 66 and at the foot of the Turquoise Trail, a National Scenic Byway.

We had a large crowd at our grand opening: Senator Heinrich’s New Mexico office sent a representative who read a personal message from the Senator, Gloria Chavez, the Mayor of Tijeras, also made some remarks. Kirtland Air Force Base was represented, as was the Veteran community. We are very blessed to have such great support.

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Welcome to MAMF! We are so glad you're here

Welcome to MAMF! We are so glad you’re here

On July 21st, our board had its quarterly meeting, and we said goodbye to our Veteran Liaison, Elisabeth Sacco, who was moving back East. Our board is very involved in all of MAMF’s projects, and we went over the upcoming summer’s events and coordinated our schedules to include staffing the museum.

On August 3rd, MAMF Secretary/Public Affairs Ole represented MAMF at an Ernie Pyle Day planning meeting at the New Mexico Veteran’s Memorial. The Ernie Pyle Day is planning commemorative events in Albuquerque for 2017, and we will be participating.

On August 6, MAMF Director Circe, Spouse Liaison Stacy and Community Liaison Lisa took Operation Footlocker out to the Route 66 Run, Rally and Rock festival in Edgewood. MAMF Volunteers Jude and Ed staffed the museum for the day. Writer in Residence Paul dropped by and shared his extensive knowledge of history and literature with visitors.

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On August 7 Circe and her husband Bill drove up to Santa Fe and met with representatives from the National Guard to pick out a location for the Military Family Memorial that MAMF is creating. It was determined that a spot right in front of the Bataan Military Museum would be perfect.

On August 31, Circe and Ole spoke to New Mexico Legislators at a special interim committee session at Central New Mexico College. The presentation was well received.

September 6th Ole was on the “Veterans Today” radio show on KVSF. He spoke to radio host Chris Abeyta about our need for help in constructing the Military Family Memorial as well as our soon-to-be released anthology, From the Frontlines to the Home Front: New Mexicans Reflect on War.

On September 16, MAMF hosted a Naturalization Ceremony for seven military wives who became US Citizens right in our “home”. Because September 16 is also POW/MIA Day and Constitution Day, the ceremony was especially meaningful. The guest speaker was military wife Mehreen Naqvi-Sharazee, herself a naturalized US citizen. Triangle Grocery in Cedar Crest provided a cake and Melba’s Floral Studios in Albuquerque created a gorgeous floral display and provided us with long-stemmed yellow roses for each new citizen.

On September 24, 35 motorcyclists dropped by MAMF as part of their Patriot Run, a fund-raiser for Run For the Wall and for the Sandoval County Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial.

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On September 29 Ole and Circe attended the New Mexico Arts and the Military Arts/Humanities Round Table hosted by New Mexico Arts. Many artists, members of the New Mexico state government, representatives for the VA, and other service organizations participated.

Fall is here, and the museum is gearing up for a busy couple of months—we have an exhibit: GI Jokes: A Somewhat Lighthearted Look at Military Life opening on November 5th at the Special Collections Library at 423 Central NE in Albuquerque. Comic Warehouse and Kaufman’s West are sponsors of the exhibit. Paul, our Writer-in-Residence has just finished editing an anthology: From the Frontlines to the Home Front: New Mexicans Reflect on War. Our museum will be hosting reading/discussion groups using this book, which will not be for sale commercially. The book will debut around November 11. Stay tuned for dates and locations for the book groups.

Director Circe and Alexander George, both University of Maryland, Munich Campus alumni, have co-edited an anthology Eins, Zwei, G’Suffa: Memories from Munich Campus which is the third book in a series of memoirs. All proceeds from the book will go to support programming at the Museum of the American Military Family.

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MAMF will also sponsor “mid-month movies”, a series of three WWII films generously donated by the WWII Foundation for MAMF to show. The first will be on October 15th at the Museum at 3:00 PM.

The most important project MAMF is working on is the creation of a memorial honoring military families-all generations and branches. It is slated to be placed in Santa Fe this November —fundraising is ongoing to bring this important memorial to fruition. The museum needs only $5,000 more to complete the project. Please help. All donations are appreciated…and donors will be acknowledged on the memorial signage.

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Looking forward to 2017, MAMF plans two exhibits:
Host Nation Hospitality (May-June)and Passports and Pedagogy: One Teacher’s Travels (TBD) as well as a couple of transformative papermaking workshops in February/March.

All programs and exhibits are brought to the public free of charge and so MAMF depends on the generosity of individual donations and grants. Please consider a tax free donation to the Museum of the American Military Family an all-volunteer run 501 c 3 non-profit. To donate, please click here

Or send a check to:

Museum of the American Military Family

PO Box 5085

Albuquerque, NM 87185
 

 

Navy Week Activities in Albuquerque

Events

Navy Week Albuquerque Kickoff Ceremony
When: Mon, September 12, 10:30am – 11:30am
Where: New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM (map)
Description: Come spend the morning with YOUR U.S. Navy to kickoff Navy Week Albuquerque at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial! Event will include Navy Divers, Navy Band Northwest, USS Constitution Sailors, Navy Recruiters, Navy Medicine Ambassadors, Navy Operational Support Center and NROTC midshipmen from the University of New Mexico. Also, Rear Admiral Phillip Sawyer will speak.

RADM Sawyer Speaking at Rotary Club of Albuquerque
When: Mon, September 12, 12pm – 1pm
Where: Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM (map)
Description: Rear Admiral Phillip Sawyer, Deputy Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, will speak at the Rotary Club of Albuquerque.

Navy Divers at the Boys & Girls Club (Seligman Branch)
When: Mon, September 12, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
Where: Seligman Branch, 3333 Truman NE, Albuquerque, NM (map)
Description: Come hang out with Navy Divers and their gear at the Seligman Branch of the Boys and Girls Club in Albuquerque.

USS Constitution, USS Albuquerque and Navy Medicine Ambassadors at Schumann Branch of the Boys and Girls Club
When: Mon, September 12, 3:30pm – 5:30pm
Where: Schumann Branch, 4600 Sundt Road, Rio Rancho, NM (map)
Description: Sailors from USS Constitution, USS Albuquerque and Navy Medicine Ambassadors will be sharing their stories with kids at the Schumann Branch of the Boys and Girls Club in Albuquerque.

Navy Band Popular Music Group Concert
When: Mon, September 12, 6pm – 7pm
Where: New Mexico Stafe Fair Pavilion Stage (map)
Description: Navy Band Northwest Popular Music Group will perform at the Pavilion Stage at the New Mexico State Fair.

Military/Veterans Appreciation Day at the New Mexico State Fair
When: Tue, September 13, 10:30am – 11:30am
Where: New Mexico Expo Pavilion Stage (map)
Description: The New Mexico State Fair honors the military and veterans during this event at the Expo Pavilion Stage.
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MAMF Has Moved to its New Location on Route 66!

Events, Military Family Members, Military News, Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family, News, The Board of Directors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 21, 2016

For additional information: Dr. Circe Olson Woessner (505) 504-6830

 

THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY FAMILY (MAMF) IS ON THE MOVE

 

Old Route 66 is getting a new tenant. The nation’s only museum dedicated to the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, spouses, and other family members of those who serve and have served in America’s military is settling in at the I-40 interchange with Tijeras. Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Circe Olson Woessner, says the move is going well, “and we plan a grand opening at 3:30 p.m. on July 9.”

Till last summer, MAMF was an on-line presence, but last July set up temporarily in the Bataan Military Academy yet continued providing programs in various venues, to include Explora, the Balloon Museum, the National Nuclear Museum, the South Broadway Cultural Center, the Special Collections Library, the Veterans Memorial Park, schools, and patriotic ceremonies around the state. Its Operation Footlocker mobile exhibit program travels throughout the country and its Flat Stanley and Flat Stella programs follow military families around the world.

“Like everything we do,” Woessner said, “our move to Tijeras is done by volunteers. We are an all-volunteer entity with no paid staff, and our programs and classes are supported by grants, donors, and volunteers, and they’ve all been packing, carrying, unpacking, cleaning, and painting to get us ready to open next month. All of our Directors and Advisors are volunteers.”

Woessner said the new facility will have an artifacts/exhibit area, a library, a crafts room, and a gift shop. “We’re in a house,” she said; “the former home of Molly who established the historic destination bar bearing her name, so as visitors walk in they’ll see what could be the home of a military family that makes a new home every two or three years.”

Exhibition panels describe the various elements affecting family life in the military and the kinds of schools military children attend around the world.

“We’ll be open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays,” she said, “and we’ll be free to the public.” She said there’s plenty of free parking and praised the attractiveness of the Tijeras Pass leading some seven miles east of Albuquerque along Old Route 66 (Central Avenue), including the “Musical Road.”

The Museum of the American Military Family (MAMF) is at 546 State Highway 333 (Old Route 66), Tijeras, NM 87059. Tel: (505) 504-6830; info@militaryfamilymuseum.org; P.O. Box 5085, Albuquerque, NM 87185. www.museumoftheamericanmilitaryfamily.org.

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MAMF to co-host Vietnam Commemoration Ceremony at VAMC

America Remembers Vietnam, Events, Museum of the American Military Family

Vietnam Veterans who are enrolled for VA health care are invited to a special Vietnam War Commemoration Ceremony on March 29 at the medical center. The ceremony, co-hosted by the Museum of the American Military Family and in partnership with the Albuquerque Veterans Benefits Administration and the Santa Fe National Cemetery, will begin at 10 a.m. in the Education Auditorium (Bldg. 39).

The ceremony’s purpose is to thank and honor Veterans of the Vietnam War, including personnel who were held as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action, for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States, and also to thank and honor the families of these Veterans.

Special guest speaker will be Thomas Baca, a retired U.S. Army Veteran who flew helicopter missions in Vietnam.  As an added attraction, a restored Huey helicopter of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department will be parked on the medical center’s parade field (near the San Mateo gate) so those attending can get a close look at the aircraft that became famous as the “workhorse of Vietnam.”

Following the ceremony, Veterans can enjoy refreshments while they view the documentary, “In the Shadow of the Blade.”  The 105-minute documentary follows the 10,000-mile journey of a battle-scarred UH-1 “Huey” helicopter into America’s backyards to hear the untold stories of Vietnam War Veterans and the families who waited for them to come home.

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA–December 13, 2015

Events, Museum of the American Military Family

Heels For Combat Boots – New Mexico and The Museum of the American Military Family along with the Applebee’s on Coors in Albuquerque, NM present BREAKFAST WITH SANTA, an event to help raise funds for our veterans/service men and women!

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For $6 per adult, $4 per child, come eat breakfast with Santa and his Elves! Santa will be escorted by The Bombardiers Car Club in a classic car parade at 7:50 am before the venue opens, and breakfast will be served at 8am at the Applebee’s on Coors Boulevard in Albuquerque, NM!

Breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, and your choice of tea, water, or coffee. Santa will be visiting with the kiddos and passing out treats while you eat, too! Come join in on the fun, and help raise money for our organizations to help our military personnel and their families! ♡

Exhibit on Department of Defense Schools Worldwide Brings Back Memories for Military Families Who Were Stationed Abroad

Brats, Events, Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family, The Board of Directors

 

logo copyFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact:     Dr. Allen Dale Olson

Phone 505-400-3849

olsonallen@msn.com

 

Exhibit on Department of Defense Schools Worldwide Brings Back Memories

for Military Families Who Were Stationed Abroad

 ALBUQUERQUE, NM, July 27, 2015—A special exhibit at the Special Collections Library’s Botts Hall chronicles the experiences of families who were based in locations around the world: Military families whose children might attend five or more schools by the time they graduated from high school.

 “Schooling with Uncle Sam,” is focused on the history of the 181 schools for military dependents located in the U.S. Spread from the Far and Middle East to Western Europe. Self-titled “Military BRATS,” the children of military families, from lowest to highest ranks, attend Department of Defense Education Agency Schools and build strong ties and cherished memories through their varied experiences.

The exhibit features comments from dozens of students, teachers and parents remarking on their experiences during various tours of duty—which involved the whole family. “Together We Serve” is the tagline of the Museum of the American Military Family and Learning Center, an organization whose mission is to bring together people with shared experiences showcasing and honoring those who also served–America’s Military Families. Artifacts from school experiences        provided by those who attended or taught at DODEA schools bring the story home to the many retired military and BRATS who live in our area, as well as those who did not serve in the military, but want to learn more about the experience of those who do.

The new exhibit includes detailed information about the history and growth of the schools, anecdotes from students who attended them, and a host of artifacts that include: a 1948 report card; teachers’ guides; books on learning to speak, write and sing in the language of their new home; school flags and pennants; posters; school photos; yearbooks; athletic jackets and trophies; a high school diploma; a bison head that was worn by the varsity mascot at the Mannheim, Germany high school; a statement from General Colin Powell, US Army, Ret.; and much more. Many of the artifacts in the exhibit are provided by the American Overseas Schools Historical Society (AOSHS), based in Wichita, Kansas.

“Schooling with Uncle Sam” is free to the public and available at the Special Collections Library, 423 Central Avenue NE (corner of Central and Edith). The library is open from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, except for Thursdays, when it opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 7 p.m. Please stop by and learn more about how children of military families received excellent education in places around the world thanks to “Uncle Sam.” To access the exhibit, please check in at the library’s Information Desk. The exhibition closes on August 22.

The Museum of the American Military Family and Learning Center (MAMF) collects and preserves the stories, experiences, documents, photos, and artifacts of the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, spouses, siblings, and others who have loved and supported a member of America’s military services from Revolutionary War times to modern times. MAMF is an all-volunteer not-for-profit online entity in quest of a permanent home in Albuquerque and is launching a capital campaign to support that quest.

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