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The Indiana Military Museum |
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ATLANTA – Vincennesvoice.com was first to carry the news that the Indiana Military Museum will move to property near the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park. Museum founder Judge Jim Osborne says he's amazed at the enthusiasm he's encountered since the news of the move. He's receiving, again, the deserved appreciation from the community for his many years of work in developing the historical attraction in Indiana's First City. He said people he didn't think would take much notice of the plans are figuratively giving him high-fives over the news. When the move occurs, it will be an event many years in the making and an important step forward in the continued development of Vincennes' historical sites. There are few places, by size, that can compare with Vincennes for its influence on American history through some 275 years. Important elements of the military history of the United States have been on display for decades in the Indiana Military Museum. Visiting my home town has almost always included a trip out to the former Rose Gardens property to see the amazing collection of military artifacts at the museum, items assembled over the years by my old friend Judge Osborne. The collection began when he was a boy. Veterans, who knew of his interest in military history, would leave items, literally, on his doorstep to be found next morning as he'd leave for school. He's never had enough space in which to place all the exhibits. Many have been stored in various locations over the years. Since moving to the former Rose Gardens, the items have been rotated at certain times so as many as possible can be displayed. The judge and I go back some decades and our occasional get-togethers always include museum time with discussions about military history and some of the latest acquisitions for this amazing assemblage. It's no wonder veterans of all services and at least four wars spend time with some of the items on display, possibly getting reacquainted with the same types of equipment they may have used on the most desperate days of their lives. It's important to understand what is required to maintain the freedom we too often may take for granted. Seeing the implements our military has used, and many items used by other armies, is time well spent. Combat and how it has related to the freedoms we enjoy is a study worth doing but it is often neglected. That's a pity. Those opposed to war should still understand what's involved since someone has to be on the front line, whether the front line is figurative or not, to make sure the obligations set forth in our Constitution are kept. Our freedoms, how they've been preserved and what all this means to us today, are the major reasons the Indiana Military Museum exists. Americans have a tendency toward short memories and attention spans. The wars this nation has fought should be part and parcel of a well-rounded education. Many sacrifices have been made in the name of American freedom. Such devotion should be honored by whatever means are available. Vincennes is fortunate to have a premier military museum to do the job of reminding, a task that seems to be needed in every generation. Yes, it's sad that any comprehensive study of world history will focus on the many wars mankind has fought. I don't know of anyone in the military who truly yearns to be in harm's way. But those who have put themselves there for the rest of us are honored by the history available for study at the Indiana Military Museum. Some notable military figures have come away from their visit to the IMM deeply moved and very quiet for some minutes. The collection, with strong emphasis on World War Two, is among the most comprehensive to be found. It continues growing under the direction of Judge Osborne and the Board of Directors. Their's is also time well spent. The future move by the IMM to the new location on 12 acres formerly occupied by the Blackford glass factory will be an attraction for visitors and the increasing visits by a number of re-enactors. The displays from numerous wars will help emphasize how historic the city is, its connection with our national military history and how some enthusiastic movers and shakers have gotten behind continued development of a prominent historical attraction. It's also a lesson on how one person, by his enthusiasm for important historical periods, can set something of real consequence in motion. Judge Jim Osborne is to be commended for starting the museum decades ago. That complement seems meager given the hard work and many years spent doing the necessary traveling and collecting. The members of the museum's board of directors also demonstrate what some citizens can do with commitments which are followed by enthusiasm and support. The next part of their project is fund raising; the plans are in place, the money comes next. That may take a while but there have been other hills climbed successfully as this collection was coming together over decades. Many people who appreciate history, military and otherwise, have traveled miles over the years to visit the IMM, as well as the many other historical sites in Indiana's First City. For those in this part of the Midwest, especially, it's basically a short trip and one worth making. The museum is an attraction honoring our heroes and the freedoms Americans hold dear. The important lesson the Indiana Military Museum teaches is what it takes to keep freedom alive and well. |
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DAVID GOODNOW |
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ATLANTA - Just about all the superlatives available have been used to describe the life and career of Walter Cronkite. The coverage of his passing has been as complete as modern TV news can make it and news consumers of all ages have been told again of the reporter who was known as the most trusted man in America. He led the list of statesmen and celebrities in an early 1970's poll on trustworthiness. His win surprised few, certainly not the writer of this personal tribute. Sad to say, some of the reporting of his passing was of the shallow variety, told in the style of modern video journalism and carrying the brand of quick, sensational story telling. The modern notion of informing viewers came off, again, as tinny, devoid of substance, even while recounting the contributions of a giant of modern journalism. There are some who say they could always discern Walter's political sentiments: liberal, of course. That's one of those easy, knee-jerk comments coined by those who may not even have seen the CBS Cronkite news over the years but found bias nonetheless. It was a different era in TV journalism. I'm one of many in the business who never saw bias on Cronkite's part. I was very surprised the evening he figuratively stepped from behind his CBS anchor desk to give the opinion that America's cause in Viet Nam was lost. On that news segment, he made sure his opinion was labeled as that, an editorial and not a factual news report. That prompted President Lyndon Johnson's famous opinion that his loss of Cronkite meant he'd also lost America. He never had Cronkite to begin with, but the opinion piece sealed LBJ's decision not to run for re-election. Only years later would Uncle Walter let it be known he was an independent. He “let it be known,” not, “revealed.” He had a low opinion of the evolution of TV news as the profit center it has become as well as the florid style of news writing. I met Walter twice, both times at CNN. On those two occasions, he seemed to have known me all his life, a description many have related when first meeting him. He was a very warm person and wasn't distracted by the activity that would surround his appearance in a newsroom or some hallway at CNN. I found him an intent listener who said he'd watched the news shows I was assigned to anchor as he traveled in many locations around the world and wondered what I thought of the 24-hour news cycle. We talked of that and my assignment as not only anchor but an editor with an attentive ear for young people coming up in the business. Walter Cronkite was always bigger than his detractors these days could ever be. He felt it an article of a reporter's faith that news consumers were due the best journalists could give and that meant leaving political opinion and stealth commentary outside the newsroom. That was a different era. We are the poorer for its loss and for the loss of a man many knew as friend only from watching him work on the CBS Evening News. With his passing, I'm left with an unsettled feeling of something left undone, something I always thought I'd do when the time was right. That would have been a visit to sit down with Walter Cronkite and just talk a little bit about him, how he did it and how he would recommend others continue with his notions about what needs to be done and said in the news, about the news. But, as has always been the case, I put it off, the years passed and time ran out. My dad was always my hero. I held Uncle Walter in less esteem than my father but more than many other men I've closely observed or with whom I've been acquainted. Part of the legend attached to the first anchorman was his ability to listen and find a way to be interested in someone he'd just met, to learn a little about that person's life story. His focus seemed intense. Being a good listener was part of what made him unique. To say he will be missed is to end up wide of the mark. Any tribute to Walter Cronkite can be extensive or abbreviated. Either will leave much to be said of this man who did his best – the epitaph he wrote – and set a standard for others to follow, if they only could. And would. Goodnow was recruited by CNN in 1982 as an anchor/editor and left the network in 2000. He's spent five decades in news.
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Walter Cronkite |