Category: Museum of the American Military Family

Big News at MAMF

Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family, News

In October 2025 the MAMF WorkSpace in Albuquerque will expand. We will be opening  a gallery (estimated opening December 2025) and a library/ archive. (Opening dates early spring 2026.) Until this time, the Museum WorkSpace will not be open to the public. We plan to host an open house and present our exhibit, A GI Christmas Carol: Tokyo Army Hospital 1954 in December, 2025,  exact dates to be determined. Right now, our board members, WorkSpace Manager, Jacob, and Gallery Manager, Genesis, are coordinating the move and organizing the spaces, so that we can, once again, be opened to the public.  We thank you for your patience and look forward to hosting you soon.

 

NEW BOOK RELEASE: In Service With Uncle Sam by Deborah E. Breining

Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family, Museum Press

The Museum of the American Military Family and Learning Center (MAMF) is pleased to announce the release of In Service with Uncle Sam, an anthology of stories about working  for the US Federal government. A sequel to the acclaimed Schooling With Uncle Sam and Host Nation Hospitality anthologies,  In Service With Uncle Sam focuses on federal workers from different agencies and eras.

This anthology documents and preserves history as told by the largely invisible employees working for the federal government, detailing the experiences and relationships they developed at home and abroad while serving the United States.

Author Deborah E. Breining says,  “From my point of view, collaborating on In Service With Uncle Sam was both rewarding and deeply meaningful. The process brought together a diverse group of contributors whose voices reflected the wide range of experiences of civilians working within the federal government. Beyond preserving personal memories, the book serves as a bridge for future generations to understand the human side of federal service, emphasizing that behind every policy, program, or office, there are people with experiences worth remembering.”

Editor Circe Olson Woessner adds, “These stories cover the period from the Second World War to the present. It’s interesting to learn how working conditions have evolved and shifted over the decades,  and as federal employment continues to undergo transformation, this book serves as a record of those developments through the summer of 2025.”

ABOUT THE MUSEUM:

The Museum of the American Military Family and Learning Center is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and provides programming both Stateside and overseas.  MAMF is an award-winning, mission-driven, all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit focused on the history, culture and stories of U.S. military families.

MEDIA: Please contact circe@militaryfamilymuseum.org

In Service With Uncle Sam (Museum of the American Military Family Publications) Paperback – September 5, 2025 by  Deborah E Breining  (Author), Circe Olson Woessner  (Editor) Part of: Museum of the American Military Family Publications (5 books)

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FQ286DY9
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 5, 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 293 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8294954987

In Service With Uncle Sam can be purchased on Amazon: https://a.co/d/1Qqepvw

NEW BOOK RELEASE: WOOFTASTIC and Mr. Wonderful by Circe Olson Woessner

MAMF Kids, Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family, Museum Press, News

The Museum of the American Military Family and Learning Center (MAMF) is pleased to announce the release of WOOFTASTIC and Mr. Wonderful, an easy-to-read chapter book about the adventures of Danny, a lovable Jack Russell Terrier, who is part of a service family that goes wherever Uncle Sam sends them. Danny is loyal, opinionated, and imaginative.

 WOOFTASTIC and Mr. Wonderful follows Danny as he moves from New Mexico to Hawaii and back again during significant times in recent history: the COVID-19 pandemic and the start of the War in Ukraine. In between, his daily routine of guarding his family, waiting for meals, and napping is interrupted by real and imaginary adventures.

“Anyone who has owned a Jack Russell Terrier will immediately understand where Danny is coming from,” says author Circe Olson Woessner. “Much in this book is based on real events. Maggie and Mack were dogs we had years ago, and that story is based on something Maggie did. Danny’s travel misadventures are also based on his actual PCS experiences, and he did, in fact, stand up to a bear. Unfortunately, my family learned what a sneaker wave is firsthand, but fortunately, we lived to tell the tale. I really loved writing WOOFTASTIC’s story, which emphasizes his larger-than-life personality.”

Young readers will appreciate the stories as told from a dog’s point of view, and adults can imagine how their own dogs would react if they were dropped into similar situations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR,  ILLUSTRATOR, AND MUSEUM

MAMF founder and Director Circe Olson Woessner wrote this charming book. Danny is a real dog, and his real 95-year-old grandma drew the pictures of Danny’s adventures.

The Museum of the American Military Family and Learning Center is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and provides programming both Stateside and overseas.  MAMF is an award-winning, mission-driven, all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit focused on the history, culture and stories of military families. To learn more about MAMF, visit its website at www.militaryfamilymuseum.org and its Facebook at www.facebook.com/MuseumoftheAmericanMilitaryFamily

MEDIA: Please contact circe@militaryfamilymuseum.org

WOOFTASTIC and Mr. Wonderful (Museum of the American Military Family Publications) Paperback – September 1, 2025 by Circe Olson Woessner (Author), Joan Y Olson (Illustrator) Museum of the American Military Family Publications

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FPSHZJ2T
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 102 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8298544351

It can be purchased on Amazon: https://a.co/d/eWo4ngk

The museum is digitizing and cataloging its art collections

Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family

Thanks to grants from New Mexico Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, in 2023 the museum had some of its artifacts professionally photographed. In 2025 MAMF’s high school intern Nathan began work researching the artifacts and creating graphics so that we could display the items on our various social media platforms. Be sure to check out the Collections Tab on this website under “Our Programs and Exhibits.”

 

 

Please consider a donation to MAMF

Brats, Events, Military Family Members, Military News, Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family

The Museum of the American Military Family, relies on grants and the support of individuals and groups to do its work of preserving history and providing programming to the public. We are an all-volunteer-run organization that provides paid internships to students. As we prepare for the opening of our Workspace in May, we kindly ask you to support our work by making a donation of any amount to honor a “brat” or two in your family! If you’re unable to donate, please consider sharing this fundraiser on your social media. MAMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your donation is tax-deductible. Thank you very much in advance for your support!

You can mail in a check, donate directly through our Facebook page DONATE BUTTON, or via Pay Pal or Venmo at this link.

MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY FAMILY TO OPEN EXHIBIT IN GERMANY

Museum News, Museum of the American Military Family

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.

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