thedrifter
08-04-03, 06:27 PM
August 04, 2003
Museum collection shows infantry’s role in Iraq war
Associated Press
FORT BENNING, Ga. — One of the National Infantry Museum’s most prized paintings sits on the floor, not the wall.
Museum director Frank Hanner thought the most appropriate way to display a large oil painting of Saddam Hussein that was captured by American troops in Iraq was to place it on the floor, covered in glass, so visitors could walk on it.
Hanner said he was simply following the lead of the former Iraqi leader, who had put former President George Bush’s image on the floor of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. In Islamic culture, showing someone the bottom of your foot or the sole of your shoe is one of the highest forms of insult.
“Someone came in crying, asking why we had a picture of Saddam on display,” Hanner said. “It’s a symbol of our victory, not of our defeat. It’s on the floor — you can walk on his face.”
As history is being made overseas, the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning is busy preserving it. The portrait, taken in April by members of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, is just one of many war artifacts on display at the military museum, which features items dating back to the 17th century. The museum’s staff has been scrambling to update its displays to reflect the role of infantrymen in the country’s most recent war.
The most expensive artifact, Hanner said, is a .345 caliber German game rifle made for Saddam that was captured by soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, during a raid of one of Saddam’s palaces. He’s also expecting the head of one of Saddam’s toppled statues to arrive soon.
Another display will show an Iraqi soldier’s gear, including his winter boots, early night-vision goggles and load-bearing equipment vest. The soldier’s helmet has the name of his wife and two children written on the inside.
Hanner and his staff created a list of artifacts that he wanted the soldiers to return with, adding that it’s important to have tangible remnants from wars.
“You can have a facsimile of a flag, but what would that mean to anyone?” he said. “We try to have the real thing at the museum. If you’ve got something from the past to remind you of your accomplishments, it lays the foundation for the future.”
Hanner said another project in the works is a book of photographs of all Army infantrymen killed in action and those who’ve earned medals.
“Our primary purpose is to train the next generation of soldiers to remember their past and be proud of their heritage as infantrymen,” he said. “They’re not paying us to be a tourist attraction. Ours is a living, breathing museum.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Museum collection shows infantry’s role in Iraq war
Associated Press
FORT BENNING, Ga. — One of the National Infantry Museum’s most prized paintings sits on the floor, not the wall.
Museum director Frank Hanner thought the most appropriate way to display a large oil painting of Saddam Hussein that was captured by American troops in Iraq was to place it on the floor, covered in glass, so visitors could walk on it.
Hanner said he was simply following the lead of the former Iraqi leader, who had put former President George Bush’s image on the floor of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. In Islamic culture, showing someone the bottom of your foot or the sole of your shoe is one of the highest forms of insult.
“Someone came in crying, asking why we had a picture of Saddam on display,” Hanner said. “It’s a symbol of our victory, not of our defeat. It’s on the floor — you can walk on his face.”
As history is being made overseas, the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning is busy preserving it. The portrait, taken in April by members of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, is just one of many war artifacts on display at the military museum, which features items dating back to the 17th century. The museum’s staff has been scrambling to update its displays to reflect the role of infantrymen in the country’s most recent war.
The most expensive artifact, Hanner said, is a .345 caliber German game rifle made for Saddam that was captured by soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, during a raid of one of Saddam’s palaces. He’s also expecting the head of one of Saddam’s toppled statues to arrive soon.
Another display will show an Iraqi soldier’s gear, including his winter boots, early night-vision goggles and load-bearing equipment vest. The soldier’s helmet has the name of his wife and two children written on the inside.
Hanner and his staff created a list of artifacts that he wanted the soldiers to return with, adding that it’s important to have tangible remnants from wars.
“You can have a facsimile of a flag, but what would that mean to anyone?” he said. “We try to have the real thing at the museum. If you’ve got something from the past to remind you of your accomplishments, it lays the foundation for the future.”
Hanner said another project in the works is a book of photographs of all Army infantrymen killed in action and those who’ve earned medals.
“Our primary purpose is to train the next generation of soldiers to remember their past and be proud of their heritage as infantrymen,” he said. “They’re not paying us to be a tourist attraction. Ours is a living, breathing museum.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: