Fredericksburg TX is noted for its German heritage and one of its favorite sons was Admiral Chester Nimitz, the chief naval commander in the Pacific theater in WWII. So it is fitting that one of the must sees in town is the National Museum of the War in the Pacific. It is well worth a visit of several hours. Since the museum starts with the cultural clashes between Asian and the West in the 19th century and then covers every main conflict of the Pacific war, the amount of information is staggering.
One of the tragic causes of all this conflict that surfaces again and again is the vast amount of prejudice and jingoism--not just Germany, Italy, and Japan but also Britain, China, Korea, France, Russia and, yes, the United States. China, Japan, and Korea all considered themselves far superior to other cultures at one time or another; Great Britain and other Europeans colonized other people without limit and forced their religion and culture on others as part of the "White Man's Burden"; the United states had its own "Manifest Destiny" to control most of North America. The museum stresses over and over that racial and ethnic cleansing never leads to anything good.
There is a small area commemorating the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa. A bomb casing like the one used on Nagasaki centers the exhibit on the end of the war. There are many stations where one can listen to personal experiences from veterans. A courtyard pays tribute to the ten American Presidents who participated in some way in World War II. See if you can name them. A beautiful Japanese garden is also on the grounds, a gift from the people of Japan. All in all, this is a very impressive place.
One of the tragic causes of all this conflict that surfaces again and again is the vast amount of prejudice and jingoism--not just Germany, Italy, and Japan but also Britain, China, Korea, France, Russia and, yes, the United States. China, Japan, and Korea all considered themselves far superior to other cultures at one time or another; Great Britain and other Europeans colonized other people without limit and forced their religion and culture on others as part of the "White Man's Burden"; the United states had its own "Manifest Destiny" to control most of North America. The museum stresses over and over that racial and ethnic cleansing never leads to anything good.
There is a small area commemorating the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa. A bomb casing like the one used on Nagasaki centers the exhibit on the end of the war. There are many stations where one can listen to personal experiences from veterans. A courtyard pays tribute to the ten American Presidents who participated in some way in World War II. See if you can name them. A beautiful Japanese garden is also on the grounds, a gift from the people of Japan. All in all, this is a very impressive place.
On a lighter note, we enjoyed lunch at the Fredericksburg Brewing Company and later in the afternoon visited one of the 55 or so wineries along Highway 290.
Shower report: the Ladybird Johnson Campground has very nice showers, including three hooks in each. Today we head west again to Ft. Stockton for one night and then on up into New Mexico.
Shower report: the Ladybird Johnson Campground has very nice showers, including three hooks in each. Today we head west again to Ft. Stockton for one night and then on up into New Mexico.
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