THE RIBBON WAS CUT AND “AND SCHOOLING WITH UNCLE SAM” IS OPEN

The Cadets of the Bataan Military Academy posted the colors proudly, and just as proudly, Dr. Circe Olson Woessner, founder and Executive Director of the Museum of the American Military Family, gave them the order to cut the ribbon and open “Schooling with Uncle Sam.”

Some 40 friends and supporters of the Museum rose to applaud the gesture, led by an enthusiastic Brigadier General Andrew Salas, Adjutant General of the New Mexico National Guard. They then spread out to look at artifact cases and displays and a series of exhibit panels telling the story of the elementary and secondary schools operated by the U.S. Defense Department around the world since the end of World War II.

“Schooling with Uncle Sam,” housed in the Botts Auditorium of the Albuquerque Special Collections Library, itself on the National Register of Historic Places, is the first public exhibit about this remarkable and unique school system.

“Schooling” co-curator (with Dr. Woessner) Dr. Allen Dale Olson told the audience that some 15 million adults have attended these schools over the years and that nearly all of them went to three, four, maybe five different schools on the way to graduation, that 50 % of them lived at or near the poverty line and in spite of all the moves, 97% of them actually graduated. » Read more

Governor Martinez Says the “New Mexico True” Campaign Is Working

By Museum of the American Military Family

At an Albuquerque press conference on June 29, New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez said that “half-a-million more visitors came to New Mexico in 2014 than in 2013” and that all-in-all, the state counted “32.7 million travelers last year.”

Following her presentation, MAMF Secretary for Public Affairs – Ole – had five minutes of one-on-one conversation with the Governor who was pleased and impressed that a MAMF exhibit had attracted 20,000 visitors in 2014. “You’re doing your share,” she told Ole. » Read more

MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY FAMILY TO SHOW THE STORY OF SCHOOLS ON U.S. BASES AROUND THE WORLD

Special Exhibit Opens July 11 in Albuquerque

by Allen Dale Olson

Less than a third of one of America’s largest school systems is actually in the United States. Its 78,000 K-12 students attend 181 schools, 58 of which are in the States, the rest spread around the world from the Far and Middle East to Western Europe.

Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of the Defense Department (DoD), it has field offices in Peachtree, Georgia, and in Japan and Germany. The Department of Defense Education Agency (DoDEA) is a civilian educator agency serving the families of American military personnel.

The history, challenges, and achievements of this unique school system will be on display in the Main Reading Room of the Albuquerque Special Collections Library starting July 11 and running through August 22, with an opening ceremony on July 16 at 5:00 p.m.

An exhibit created by the Museum of the American Military Family (MAMF),“Schooling with Uncle Sam” uses quotes, photos, documents, and artifacts gathered from around the world from former students, teachers, administrators, and military personnel and curated by MAMF volunteers with decades of experience in the DoD schools. MAMF is the only museum in the country dedicated exclusively to collecting and preserving the stories of the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, spouses, and other relatives of uniformed personnel from our nation’s founding to the present.

Military sponsorship for the education of sons and daughters of the armed forces dates to the mid-19th century, but the DoDEA of today traces its history to the end of World War II when the Army leadership decided that Occupation soldiers would have higher morale if their families were with them and that the defeated populace of Germany and Japan would benefit by witnessing living examples of American democracy. Besides, a racially integrated military was wary of assigning personnel into a still-segregated South.

Since DoD opened schools in Germany and Japan in 1946, an estimated 15,000,000 Americans have passed through them. Today, besides in the United States, DoD operates schools on military installations in 14 different nations.

DoDEA students are just like students in typical American schools, except they’re not. The average DoDEA student will attend four or five, often more, different schools en route to graduation. More than a quarter of them enter first grade speaking a language other than English. Almost all of them will have lived in at least one foreign country by the time they reach fourth grade.

Students come from every state in the Union, and so do their teachers. Every school is blessed with a faculty of men and women from diverse backgrounds and locations. They return to every state and enrich local districts with their own diversity and intercultural experiences.

DoDEA’s Director, Thomas Brady, in a recent Government Executive newsletter referred to DoDEA schools as “well-resourced,” because of their placement firmly in the Pentagon budget. He explains that DoDEA students have parents in a military organization that “requires them to keep up standards or get out. They have a roof over their heads, health care, three meals a day, and parents who care.”

Last summer, more than 20,000 visitors saw the MAMF Exhibit, “Sacrifice & Service,” the story of military families and how they find pride and identity through service and deal with deployments, loss, separation, and constant movement from base to base.

MAMF is an all-volunteer not-for-profit on-line entity in quest of a permanent home and is launching a capital campaign to support that quest.

The exhibit, “Schooling with Uncle Sam,” is free to the public. The Special Collections Library is at 423 Central Avenue NE in Albuquerque and is open from 10:00 a.m. till 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday except on Thursdays when it’s open 11:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

We’ve Found a Building to Buy: How You Can Help!

After years of looking, the Museum of the American Military Family has found a great building in a perfect location in Albuquerque, NM.

It will cost around $220,000 to buy. With your support, we can create a physical museum dedicated to our unique culture.

Your tax deductible contribution in any amount will help us continue to:

  • Honor America’s Military Families
  • Share their stories
  • Preserve their legacies
  • Recognize the countless men, women and children who stand beside America’s Service Members

We are a 501c3 nonprofit with an all-volunteer Board. Your support will be acknowledged in the museum building.

It will take all of us to create this unique museum–we appreciate your support!

 

please donate here:

http://www.museumoftheamericanmilitaryfamily.org/SponsorsandDonations.html

 

4 Voices Performance at the Raymond G. Murphy Medical Center in ABQ

On March 27, MAMF Director, Circe and MAMF Writer-in-Residence, Caroline joined poets Jacqueline Murray Loring  and Karin Bradberry onstage to perform as “4 Voices”. The Apronistas, a collective of women artists brought along their healing dolls as part of Women’s History Month events. Here are some photos from the 27th.

 

 

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Talking Service: A Reading & Discussion Program for New Mexico Veterans

Child in service member's arms

Contact: Circe Olson Woessner at (505) 504-6830; Museum of the American Military Family

Contact: Michelle Quisenberry at (505) 633.7370; New Mexico Humanities Council

 Albuquerque, March 27, 2015– In a unique collaboration, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce has joined forces with the New Mexico Humanities Council and the Museum of the American Military Family to offer Talking Service, a new reading and discussion program for veterans to reflect on their service and the transition to civilian life.  The program will take place in April on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pn-8:00pm. At the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, veterans can come together to discuss military themed readings from the anthology, Standing Down. The discussions will be facilitated by Caroline LeBlanc, Writer-in-Residence of the Museum of the American Military Family.

Talking Service, hosted at the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, is part of a national initiative by the Great Books Foundation and state humanities councils to offer veterans the opportunity to reflect on their service and talk openly about their challenges and future aspirations.  It is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities Standing Together initiative, which encourages humanities programs that focus on the history, experience, or meaning of war and military service.  The Great Books Foundation donated copies of Standing Down to state humanities councils, who in turn provide the textbooks to participating veterans in their states.

Standing_Down_Front_Cover-1

Talking Service is free and open to past and present members of the Armed Forces. For more information about the program and how to join, please contact Dr. Circe Olson Woessner, Executive Director , Museum of the American Military Family at 505 504-6830 » Read more

MAMF’s New Treasurer, Sue Pearson

MAMF’s new Treasurer, Sue Pearson, has 30 years with the Federal government as an Administrative and Financial employee; 18 years have been in the Medical Auditing arena. She is a military brat and the spouse of a retired 24-year active duty US Air Force veteran. During Sue’s affiliation with the military, she has had the opportunity to travel the world, engaging with other cultures.

She holds a Bachelors  degree in Finance from Liberty University; she has two Associates degrees in Computer Information Systems Management from Central New Mexico Community College, and a General Curriculum Liberal Arts from the University of Maryland.

Sue’s spouse is a 100% disabled veteran, which has given her a deep compassion for helping people.  Sue has served as the People with Disabilities Special Emphasis Program Manager at Kirtland AFB for over 15 years, and currently serves as the Kirtland AFB Blood Program Manager (Coordinator). Because of this, she has the pleasure of working with the Air Force Base and the Albuquerque civilian communities to have blood available as needed.

VETERANS INVITED TO READING AND DISCUSSION PROGRAM AT ALBUQUERQUE HISPANO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Talking Service Poster

 Albuquerque, March 23, 2015— In a unique collaboration, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce has joined forces with the New Mexico Humanities Council and the Museum of the American Military Family to offer Talking Service, a new reading and discussion program for veterans to reflect on their service and the transition to civilian life.  The program will take place in April.

At the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, veterans will come together over the course of four sessions to discuss a variety of readings about military service.  Each piece of literature from the anthology, Standing Down, is a jumping off point for vets to reflect on their own experiences in the military and returning home.  The discussions will be facilitated by Caroline LeBlanc, Writer-in-Residence of the Museum of the American Military Family.

 Talking Service is free and open to past and present members of the Armed Forces. For more information about the program and how to join, please contact Dr. Circe Olson Woessner, Executive Director , Museum of the American Military Family at 505 504-6830 » Read more

Albuquerque Veterans Invited to Participate in Reading Program

Talking Service Poster

The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and the Museum of the American Military Family have joined with the New Mexico Humanities Council to offer Talking Service, a new reading and discussion program for veterans to reflect on their service and the transition to civilian life.

Veterans will come together over the course of 4 sessions in April to discuss a variety of readings about military service. Each piece of literature, from the anthology Standing Down is a jumping off point for veterans to reflect on their own experiences in the military and returning home. Caroline LeBlanc, Writer-in-Residence, Museum of the American Military Family, will facilitate the discussions.

Every participant will receive a copy of Standing Down. Call 505 504-6830 for more info, or to participate. Slots/books are limited, so reserve a slot today!

 

 

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