CALL FOR STORIES: SCHOOLING WITH UNCLE SAM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

On October 14, 2021,  the Museum of the American Military Family will observe the 75th anniversary of the opening of Defense Department Dependents Schools in Europe and the Far East by releasing a commemorative anthology,  “SCHOOLING WITH UNCLE SAM.”

The anthology will not focus on the school system history or governing policies but on  personal memories–what it was like to work or study in the school system, to live and work in a foreign country or military installation and move from year to year to another country or state  – the mundane, funny, or tragic events and interactions that made for a memorable experience. Stories should be about a certain time, event, or experience about school/work/life with DoDEA (or with its predecessor organizations such as DoDDS, USDESEA, DEG, etc.)

This is a chance to preserve a unique history and to be a part of it. It’s an opportunity to share a personal look at a world-wide school system serving America’s world-wide interests and assuring that your involvement with it will be recognized. 

Your story  should be first-person and can be as long or short as you choose. Please also consider including black-and-white photos to help illustrate your memoir. You can submit up to three different pieces for the book.

Authors included in the anthology will receive a free copy of the book in lieu of payment.  All stories become the property of the Museum of the American Military Family Special Collections Library. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to help the Museum continue to bring exhibits and programming to the museum community free of charge.

Story suggestions … a unique classroom, your daily commute to school, your host nation neighborhood, a military “incident” in or around school, a favorite host nation restaurant or field trip experience,  a celebrity or high ranking or local dignitary visiting your school, something funny at school. Or an event memorable to you.

You need not be an accomplished writer to participate. MAMF will provide minor editing to sharpen your contribution.

            The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 2, 2021. The anthology will be released at a public anniversary observance in October of 2021.

            To submit a story, or for more information, please e-mail the submissions to OlsonAllen@msn.com.

            To learn more about the museum visit the website: www.militaryfamilymuseum.org and follow us on FB www.facebook.com/MuseumoftheAmericanMilitaryFamily.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SOME REMARKABLE MEMORIES!

TELLING THE STORY OF MILITARY FAMILIES

As the only museum in the country dedicated to collecting and preserving the stories, documents, photographs, and artifacts of the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, and spouses of those who serve and have served in America’s military, the Museum of the American Military Family (MAMF)includes a permanent exhibition about the history of DoDEA since its founding and a collection of  teacher-collected artifacts from around the world.

Founded by former DoDEA teacher and student, Circe Olson Woessner is the daughter of long-time DoDEA staffer and WWII veteran and is a military wife and mother and brings a realistic and enriching perspective to the unique challenges and achievements of military families. 

Besides presenting permanent and revolving exhibits about the life style of military family members and the educators who support them, MAMF conducts town hall meetings about military and military veteran issues and interacts with a world-wide audience through a variety of social media and through a series of audio and video podcasts.

MAMF has been recognized in each of the past three years with Awards of Excellence by the American Association of State and Local History including an Albert Corey Award for exceptionally distinguished programming. It is affiliated with the American Alliance of Museums, the New Mexico Association of Museums, and the Museum Collaborative Council of Albuquerque.

 MAMF’s Operation Footlocker is a mini mobile museum treasure chest of memories donated by military families, military brats, and teachers from the overseas schools of the Defense Department. The fleet of eight footlockers travels around the USA – to brat functions, to schools, to libraries, to teacher and military reunions – anywhere people gather who want to learn more about the military family experience.

Dr. Woessner is now looking forward to next October and the 75th anniversary of the establishments of DoDEA schools around the world. She is planning to publish an anthology of stories by teachers, past and present, about their unique experiences teaching and working in civilian-type schools on military installations throughout the States and around the world. Through DoDEA and MAMF websites, she will issue a call for stories along with guidelines for submission in October 2020.

MAMF has already published a series of such anthologies: War Child, a collection of stories by adults who grew up as children in a war zone; Front Lines to the Homefront, stories by adults reflecting on their experiences in or around war; On Freedom’s Frontier: Life on the Fulda Gap, stories by veterans and family members who lived and worked along one of the world’s most sensitive potential battlegrounds.

Their anthology SHOUT! Sharing our Truth, by LGBTQ+ veterans and veteran family members about their service in the military before and after Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, has been produced as a play performed in Richmond, Virginia, and scheduled for performances in San Francisco and Providence next year. MAMF has also turned the anthology into a documentary film.

Visit website www.militaryfamilymuseum.org to learn more about MAMF and what it is doing to honor military families and the schools that serve them and to provide a place for scholars to learn the history of the millions of families who have also “served” our country.  

We have two new team members!

Our Artist in Residence for Photography

Arin Yoon is a Korean American army spouse and documentary photographer, visual artist, and arts educator currently stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Her work explores issues on the military, family, women, education and identity. 

She has exhibited at venues such as the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Seoul, Daegu Arts Center, Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, Anthology Film Archives and A.I.R. Gallery in New York, iam8bit Gallery in Los Angeles, and the Chicago Humanities Institute. Her work is a part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Sexual Slavery in South Korea. She is a member of Women Photograph. 

Arin’s work has been published in The Wrath-Bearing Tree, Reuters, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Korea Times, The Gothamist, The Record, Character Media, and The Queens Chronicle.   

Her current project, To Be At War, is funded by grants from We, Women, The National Military Family Association, and the City of Leavenworth. She has been a recipient of the Darkroom Residency Program through Baxter Street Camera Club of New York and has received The René Peñaloza-Galvan Memorial Award for excellence in teaching from the Brooklyn College Community Partnership. 

Arin holds a BA in English Language and Literature and a BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago, and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in Photography, Video and Related Media. Her work can be seen at arinyoon.com    

Dr. Cheryl Avila, Museum Storyteller, was raised in an American military family. Her father retired from the Army after 32 years of service. Her two brothers are also retired Army officers and have raised American military families of their own. After college, Cheryl served in the Army for four years, her daughter is in ROTC at Emory University, and her son attends the United States Military Academy at West Point.  While serving as an MI officer during the day, Cheryl tutored soldiers wanting their GED in the evening. After leaving the Army Cheryl pursued a Master’s and PhD in Education and founded Math Doctor, a learning center in Palm Bay, Florida. As the Museum’s Storyteller, Cheryl believes that connecting through stories is important for children of military families, both young and old, to feel as if they have a place in this world, a “tribe” that understands what they went through. 

Museum Update

The museum will be able to open soon under the new public health order. There are things we must do to ensure we and our visitors are safe. After September 15, we will open by appointment only and at 25% capacity. Stay tuned for more info on our reopening!

Thank you to the NM Humanities Council for supporting us!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: July 15, 2020

FINAL UPDATE: New Mexico Humanities Council funds 68 organizations with CARES Act Grant, totaling more than $433,000Albuquerque, NM – The New Mexico Humanities Council (NMHC) has awarded $433,800 in grant funds to 68 New Mexico cultural nonprofit organizations including museums, libraries, community centers, and historical societies throughout the state. Funding for these grants was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) passed by the U.S. Congress. Intended to give emergency operating funds to humanities-based organizations which face significant financial losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, New Mexico’s share of the funds has been exhausted and the application process closed.
NMHC’s Grant Committee reviewed 85 applications from cultural organizations requesting over $600,000 in grant funds to offset estimated losses of $6,645,366. From Deming to Anton Chico, NMHC made its funding decisions by evaluating factors such as applicants’ immediate financial need, geographic location, humanities focus, and service to underrepresented groups. Award amounts ranged from $1,500-$7,500. Funds are intended to help organizations remain connected with their communities, as some are the only cultural provider in their area. Grant funds will support a variety of needs including operating expenses, salaries, staff retention, and support for programs that transition resources and in-person programming to online platforms.
“On behalf of the board of the NMHC, we are humbled to be able to assist so many of New Mexico’s excellent cultural organizations,” said Arif Khan, NMHC Board Chair. “New Mexico’s rich and varied cultural life is one of our state’s most valuable resources. Organizations throughout New Mexico work every day, most with a modest and dedicated staff, to support, grow, and contribute to that cultural ecosystem and support their local communities. As we go through this difficult moment together, these grants will help organizations large and small to survive the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, retain employees, and continue to deliver on their missions.”
Learn more and view a complete list of organizations funded through the NMHC CARES Act Grants.
The New Mexico Humanities Council (NMHC) supports public programs in New Mexico communities which inspire inclusive conversations that strengthen our civil society and celebrate diverse human experiences. Learn more at www.nmhumanities.org .NEW MEXICO HUMANITIES COUNCIL4115 Silver Avenue SEAlbuquerque, NM 87108

Closed until futher notice
505.633.7370INFO@NMHUMANITIES.ORG
WWW.NMHUMANITIES.ORGCopyright 2020 New Mexico Humanities Council

Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center in Tijeras Wins 2020 AASLH Award of Excellence

For Immediate Release

Contact:          

Circe Olson Woessner

circe@militaryfamilymuseum.org

546 B State Highway 333

Tijeras, NM 87059

Bethany Hawkins

hawkins@aaslh.org

615-320-3203

AASLH

Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center in Tijeras Wins 2020 AASLH Award of Excellence 

NASHVILLE, TN—May 2020—The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces that the Museum of the American Military Family is the recipient of an Award of Excellence for  Addiction/ Recovery: Military Families Cope—an Experiential Exhibit and Ongoing Workshops The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 75th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.  

This is the third AASLH award in as many years for the museum, following up on its 2018 Albert B. Corey Prize, and its 2019 Award of Excellence. All  awards are given for programs and projects of merit. 

The 2020 award recognizes the museum’s ongoing programming focusing on  addiction and recovery.  The exhibit, a collaboration between the VA hospital and New Mexico state resources provides answers to questions such as “Why Does Addiction Happen,” “What Treatments Work,” “How Can I Help”, and “How I Should Respond to an Overdose.” 

In 2019, thanks to a NM ARTS grant, military brat and artist Kelly Barnes came to New Mexico from the East Coast to conduct face-to-face workshops at the museum, and participants created a series of decorated ACU pants to accompany the exhibit, and recently, Tacoma, Washington, Poet Laureate and military spouse Abby E. Murray created a series of poetry workshops for the museum’s podcast site. 

This year, AASLH is proud to confer fifty-seven national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history.  The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203, or go to www.aaslh.org.

The American Association for State and Local History is a not-for-profit professional organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history.

From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH provides leadership, service, and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all people. AASLH publishes books, technical publications, a quarterly magazine, and maintains numerous affinity communities and committees serving a broad range of constituents across the historical community. The association also sponsors an annual meeting, regional and national training in-person workshops, and online training.

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Memorial Day Ceremonies Canceled at Three New Mexico Sites

The New Mexico Department of Veterans Services

Michelle Lujan Grisham

Governor

Judy M. Griego

Cabinet Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ray Seva

Public Information Officer
New Mexico Department of Veterans Services

ray.seva@state.nm.us

(505) 827-6352-office

(505) 362-6089-mobile

Memorial Day Ceremonies Canceled at 3 Sites

State-run veterans’ cemeteries to remain open

SANTA FE – The Department of Veterans Services (DVS) has canceled Memorial Day ceremonies at three of its sites due to continuing COVID-19 restrictions.

The canceled ceremonies were to be held May 25 at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Angel Fire, the Fort Stanton State Veterans Cemetery, and the Gallup State Veterans Cemetery.

The Fort Stanton and Gallup State Veterans cemeteries will be open for normal gravesite visitation during regular 8 a.m.-5 p.m. business hours. Cemetery staff will place miniature American flags at each gravesite on Friday, May 22. On May 25, full-size flags will be flown at half-staff throughout the day. The administrative offices will be closed.   

Cemetery staff wearing personal protective equipment will regulate traffic flow to one-way-in, one-way-out, and the cemeteries will be limited to 20 percent capacity at all times to comply with guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the New Mexico Department of Health.

Gravesite visitors will be asked to limit group size to no more than five people, and to observe a 6-foot social distancing within the group.  

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire will remain closed, but American flags will fly at half-staff throughout the day at the memorial and along the road to the facility.

“DVS recognizes the importance of Memorial Day as the day to honor service members who gave their lives while in service to our country, but the safety of DVS staff and the public is of utmost importance,” said DVS Secretary Judy Griego. “I hope veterans and their families understand the reasons behind the implementation of these safety precautions for Memorial Day.”

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Respectfully,

Ray Seva

Public Information Officer,
New Mexico Department of Veterans Services

ray.seva@state.nm.us

(505) 827-6352-office

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