Captain’s Corner

I am sitting in the little office; the closed sign says closed for Christmas and I am listening to Christmas music on the 1940’s radio. I am contemplating the past year filled with energy and accomplishment wondering if we have it in us to do it again in 2023 with more and bigger events, more visitors and, building a bigger team.

We have taken down our wedding window and put up the Christmas decorations. The wedding window was a huge success. We commemorated the WWII guys returning from the war, marrying their sweethearts and true to their place in the greatest generation, built America to be the leader of the free world. Our windows are a big hit. The Rohr”s and Parrishes loaned us their mom’s wedding dresses. Tang Bridal and others helped decorate. You can see folks pausing to look at them at all hours of the day and night. Jim Ortte told me he sees folks peering in from the street corner when he is on his way to work at 2 am.

Next year we are planning a medical window, highlighting the advances in medicine during wartime. We will need some medical artifact loans and or donations to make it happen. If you have items and stories that will add to our display, I hope you will let us know. You will see from the pictures following that we have been busy.

There are so many to thank: Kristin, Diane, both Rays, Lauren and Carahsoft, Ingrid and her family, Phil Dorn, Jim Pipin, Carol Campbell, Ron Link, Pam Porter and so many others. Very soon we will need to recruit new officers for our Board of Directors. In addition, we need a membership chairman and a volunteer coordinator. Carol would like to be relieved as Secretary as she has held the position for over a year.

We need to expand the number of shift volunteers that sign up to man the museum so that we can lighten the load for our current volunteers and provide back-ups just in case someone get sick or wants to visit their grand kids. I know that among the thousands of visitors that come through our doors, there must be the volunteers that we need. Our visitors continue to be generous with their donations, but not enough to cover all the bills. We need the contributions of government and those important people and businesses who believe in what we do to remember our local veterans. Thank you to all who contributed to the Freedom Museum in 2022. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The Freedom Museum (Pam Porter) is proud to present our highest award to Lauren Dower, representing Carahsoft Inc. for their $10,000 donation supporting the museum following our “Sock Hop fundraising event. Donations are critical to keeping the doors open at the museum. This donation and others like it make our paying the bills for the year possible. Thank you, Lauren, and Carahsoft for your generosity.

A Centennial (+1) Celebration To Remember! By Kristin Perper

It isn’t every day that someone reaches their hundredth birthday, but Manassas resident and WWII veteran Pete Anastasi (along with Betty, his wife of 77 years) recently celebrated his 101st birthday, hosted by the Freedom Museum. “When we found out that Pete’s birthday was on November 13, we thought it would be perfect to celebrate his birthday a couple of days earlier on Veterans Day,” says Kristin Perper, the museum’s director of growth and development.

They invited Pete’s friends and family, many of whom came out to celebrate with all of us at the museum, despite the soaking rain that fell throughout the day. It turned out to be a community celebration, with local dignitaries, including Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger, on hand to offer birthday wishes as well as party contributions from local businesses.

Prince William County Board of Supervisors member Victor Angry, an Army veteran himself, showed up in uniform, saluted Pete, and sang The Army Song with him. He also helped cut his birthday cake—graciously provided by nearby Weinegar’s Sweets & Treats—with a sword! Philadelphia Tavern, another Old Town Manassas business, provided Italian subs, soft pretzels (Pete’s favorite), and other delicious edibles for guests to enjoy during the celebration. WJLA, the local ABC affiliate, sent out a team to cover the event as well; they interviewed Pete, who noted he was glad he could do his part during WWII, during which he served in Northern Africa.

Recognizing that many of his military buddies never made it home, Pete says, “I feel God blessed me and stayed with me with all we went through.” The Freedom Museum extends its gratitude for all the community support to help celebrate Pete on his 101st birthday.

The Freedom Museum partnered with the House of Mercy to collect Christmas toys for needy children.

By Nancy Griffin-Bonnaire

November 11 is Veterans Day, and while the Freedom Museum participated in the Northern Virginia Veterans Parade on the morning of Saturday, November 5 and was open for tours and talks that afternoon, it’s important to note this Old Town Manassas gem is dedicated to honoring veterans all year long. They do this by inviting visitors to learn the stories of local veterans who served in conflicts dating back as far as the Spanish-American War, preserving the memory of these heroes and honoring their sacrifice. The Freedom Museum’s mission aligns perfectly with that of the Veterans History Project, with which it recently connected. Created by Congress in 2000, its purpose is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. They do this through firsthand interviews and narratives with the veterans themselves or through oral history collections of Gold Star Family members (parent, spouse, sibling, or child of a U.S. Armed Forces member who died as a result of their service during a war). Each unique perspective is transcribed by stenographic court reporters from the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) for display at the Library of Congress. They also accept collections of original photographs, letters, diaries, maps, and other historical documents from veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces from World War I through present day. Since becoming involved with the Veterans History Project, NCRA members have transcribed 4,300 oral histories from United States military veterans. Freedom Museum director of growth and development Kristin Perper explains she contacted a friend who happens to be a national court reporter, and as a result, the NCRA reached out to the museum to consider collaborating with them. Since then, they have been able to record the stories of several local veterans for the Veterans History Project, including conducting several interviews onsite at the museum. In September, Sonja Rurhen, a Gold Star mother to U.S. Army Sgt. David Ruhren, who died in 2004 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom, shared her son’s story. She notes her biggest fear since her son’s death was that his history would eventually be forgotten. “I don’t have to ever worry about that again,” Sonja says. “Years from now folks will be able to see pictures and read a bit about who he was, is, and will always be. This honor means more than words can ever express.” She was joined by five veterans who also shared their stories, including: James Eric Fritzius, U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves; John Kalinowski, Jr., U.S. Air Force; Mark Evan Lancaster, U.S. Army; Kevin Wayne Kayhoe, U.S. Marine Corps; and Tim Seaman, U.S. Coast Guard, who echoed Sonja’s sentiment. “It’s important for me for future generations to know there are people that care enough to commit a part of their life to serve something greater than themselves,” says Tim, adding he hopes his contribution will serve a greater purpose in the future. “We are honored to have the NCRA approach us about doing interviews here,” says James Porter, who serves as president of the Freedom Museum’s Board of Directors. “It’s the perfect place because they’re surrounded by all of the things here that remind them of their time in service.” Kristin adds they look forward to conducting future Veterans History Project interviews in the future.