Tag Archives: The National WWII Museum New Orleans

Weathered American Flag from WWII US Vessels

19 Saturday Jan 2019

Posted by in American Flag, New Orleans, The National WWII Museum, WWII

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  • Part of a display at the National WWII Museum New Orleans
  • This American Flag flew from a US vessel during the WWII European Campaign
  • Detailed views of the American Flag

As I was wandering in The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, I found another American Flag. This flag flew from a vessel during the invasion campaign against Mussolini’s outpost on the beaches of Sicily, Italy. The US and British forces battled to capture Sicily to help eliminate the Axis forces from Italy from the war.

I was attracted to the flag because of the tattled edges and the texture in this flag which survived the war. It is interesting how the flag survived the battle of 38 days without getting any bullet holes. I could imagine how the flag flew valiantly and was blowing fiercely during the vessel’s travels. I could envision how the flag was whipped in the air and proudly endured as the different vessels bought the American forces to the Sicilian beaches. The strength of the American flag fabric endured the battle, just as the Allies fought battles against Germans and Italians to bring about Italy’s surrender.

Seeing this American Flag reminds me what it means to be an American. It symbolizes that we all need to stand for the original principals of our Founding Fathers. Being an American should mean that we will be tough and strive to stand for Freedom and Liberty.

Normally, when we see an item tattled and worn, we would discard it. But this frayed American Flag represents the fighting spirit of those World War II soldiers who sacrificed to win the battle.

Keep photos that teach.

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What A Handmade American Flag taught us

18 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by in American Flag, New Orleans, The National WWII Museum, WWII

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Handmade American Flag
Incredible story
Detailed views of the handmade flag

As I was walking around The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, I noticed this handmade American Flag. It intrigued me with the details. I photographed the details of the flag components. The stars were impressive to me, as well as the hand stitching of the stripes. I can imagine it took a long time to sew 48 stars on the flag.

This American Flag was handmade by a group French teenagers to express their gratitude to the American soldiers who liberated them. The fact that these French teenagers decided to hand sew and hand cut all these pieces to create an American Flag is very touching. It amazes me that they designed and thought about the detail to create this wonderful flag.

There are 2 lessons we all can learn from about their actions of gratitude.

  • Freedom is precious
  • Genuine Gratitude must be expressed thru actions

These French teenagers taught us valuable lessons by their actions of gratitude. Hope these pictures will help each us to have a greater appreciation of our freedom and to perform actions of gratitude to those around us.

Keep photos that teach.

P-51D Mustang Bunnie in New Orleans

17 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in Mustang, New Orleans, P-51D, P-51D Mustang, The National WWII Museum

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  • P-51D Mustang at the National WWII Museum New Orleans
  • The underside of the P-51D Mustang

The P-51D Mustang is one of my favorite World War II Fighter Planes. It was a successful fighter achieving a kill ratio of 11:1. I enjoyed walking on the different catwalks and seeing all aspects of the plane. I could photograph from top to bottom and different angles on the side. This museum did an excellent job in displaying the airplanes.

I found this interesting article how ABC’s Good Morning America anchor – Robin Roberts and her sister – WWL-TV anchor Sally-Ann Roberts – hosted an unveiling dedication ceremony on April 21, 2016. This “Bunnie” was restored and replaced a replica P-51 at The National WWII Museum. These sisters’ father – Colonel Lawrence Roberts was a Tuskegee Airman. They led a discussion about these brave black fighter pilots experiences. Below is a link with an article about this event to unveil this airplane.

Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in WW II

My wife is amazed about the specs I remember about the different fighter planes and military vehicles. I can remember the different models numbers and names. I collected books which describes all the specifications for these fighters and bomber planes.

It is important to find your passions in life. Whatever it is that interests you, spend your energy to learn about that passion. My passion for these fighter planes gave me a greater appreciation for the fighter pilots who sacrificed to protect our country.

My Gal Sal in New Orleans

16 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by in B-17, Heavy Bomber, The National WWII Museum, WWII

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  • B-17E Flying Fortress Heavy Bomber at The National WWII Museum New Orleans

I have always been fascinated with military planes, ships, tanks, equipment, etc. When I was a kid, I built plastic models. I studied reference books for military vehicle specifications and for the detailed pictures and cutaway drawings.

I traveled to New Orleans with my church group. We went there to serve and do community projects. There is still a need to rebuild in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. During the middle of the week, we took a break to visit “The National WWII Museum”. It was quite a treat to visit this museum. The Pastor of our church is a history buff. He visited this museum previously and took us to visit and share in his passion for history. It was really cool to see the items on display up close and personal. Unfortunately we only had a day to spend at the museum. I could have spent a week there as the museum is huge and has multiple buildings. We were only able to visit part of two of the buildings. Seeing the many aircraft suspended from the ceiling was incredible. There were multiple catwalks on different floors, so you could see the different aircraft from many angles. The creators of the museum did a fabulous job on designing the displays. I definitely would like to go back and visit the museum again in the future.

My Gal Sal is one of my favorite airplanes. I like this airplane, because it is a very sturdy bomber that could carry a lot of bombs. It could take a lot of damage. It also has a lot of machine guns for self defense. As per the sign I photographed above, it had 10 .50 caliber and 1 .30 caliber machine guns to defend itself against any enemy fighters. It fascinates me how these bombers were able to effectively protect our country and beliefs.

Our photographs should reflect our fascination with objects, people and places. I’m glad I could photograph this special museum to remember My Gal Sal.