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A Living Legacy
The veterans’ stories preserved in our Wisconsin Veterans Museum have provided me with many inspirations for these articles and the talks I’ve been asked to give at museum events. My perspective widened at our Convoy Speaker Series in La Crosse, sponsored by Edgewood College Military & Veterans Services, where I heard a moving presentation by Vietnam veteran Don Weber describing his experiences and outreach efforts to homeless and ill veterans.
The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Ohio provides a model where the static displays, so necessary to bring the story of our military and our veterans to the public, is supplemented by an active center for veteran support including mental and physical health counseling, job and housing aid and a place where veterans can meet and support one another. This model can turn a static museum into a living legacy where the historic story of Wisconsin’s service to our nation can be displayed, and those veterans still with us can be given a place where they can meet and get the help they need to return to civilian life.
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The current plan for the new museum has space designed to provide for veteran meetings, lectures, and services. We should continue to solicit support for the new museum with a commitment to making the new venue a historic legacy to remember the veterans who have served from Wisconsin, and a living legacy to remember those veterans who served from Wisconsin and are still with us and need our support.
We are currently engaged in an important effort to raise enough support to provide the funding for the new Wisconsin Veterans Museum on Capitol Square. We should keep in mind, however, that Wisconsin veterans are with us today. Many suffer from PTSD. Many are homeless and struggle to adjust to civilian life after their experiences in combat zones over the last 20 years.
In gratitude,
Daniel Checki Foundation Board President
If you are interested in learning more about the project and want to pledge your support, please contact Jen Carlson at the Foundation.
