Items left at the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial

People leave many different things at the Vietnam Memorial. Uniforms, medals, wreaths, poems and letters, candles, flags, even cans of beer. My husband left a flak jacket that had been signed by General Westmoreland and had a pack of Ruby Red cigarettes in the pocket. He left it for his brother, who died in Vietnam. Over the years since the dedication of The Wall in 1982, thousand of things have been left--so many that they are talking about a museum just for that. That would be a great tribute.

museum

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An old Outside Loo

Old outside loo at the Melbourne museum

Me at the Museum

I was hanging out at the Cumer Museum

Photo Pillars

Melbourne Museum photo pillars 2008

Singer sewing machine

singer sewing machine, photo taken at Melbourne Museum 2008

living history museum

my daughter at work with me

museum

A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and enjoyment", as defined by the International Council of Museums. The UK Museums Association definition (adopted 1998) is: “ Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artifacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society. ” There are tens of thousands of museums all over the world. For a relatively short list, see the List of museums.

Phar Lap

Phar Lap at The Melbourne Museum 2008

Melbourne Museum Skeleton

Melbourne museum skeleton 2008