One of the things that came
about due to the war was the utilization of women in the work
force. Since most of the able-bodied men were overseas fighting in the war, it
was left up to the women to fill their positions in factories.
One of the posters illustrates a government campaign to encourage
women to go into previously male-held jobs. How's that for your
women's lib poster?
The museum was a multi-media
presentation. As you walkeddown the hallways you would hear FDR's voice giving
one of his famous speeches, then you would see various posters, or
display cases filled with memorabilia. In addition to all these
they were also showing several movies. Then we turned a corner
and walked into what looked like a bomb-shelter in London during
the blitz. This was very well done, including flashing lights and
the sound of bombs exploding in the background. Something I
especially liked was the special way in which the museum gave credit to those individuals who
donated items for display. Many times we have been in museums
that had a little card that said "Donated by Mr & Mrs.
Smith." What it didn't say is how Mr. & Mrs. Smith had
come in possession of the items. Their displays, like the one at
the left, usually came with a story about the person who donated
the items, and how
he or she came about being in possession of them. After we exited
the museum we looked towards the back of the lot and found a sign
indicating a Vietnam Fire Base located down the hill towards the
rear. We went down the hill and found something that looked very
much like what you saw in many of the Vietnam War movies. As I
stood there looking over the various tents, camouflage nets,
etc., I could almost hear the sound of the "incoming"
missiles. The display was done very realistically. All in all, I
would say that the museum was well worth the time spent going
through it. I learned a lot about not only WWII but the
"depression" preceding it. A time my parents talked
about, but I only had an inkling of the true depth of the dark
time our country had gone through. I would definitely put this museum high on
your list of "things to see" while in Vermont.
Laura
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