COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina State Museum is honoring the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Veterans, active military personnel, and families visited the museum on Saturday to remember those who served our country.
"It gives people an idea of what this country went through and what freedom means,” Claude Eichelberger, a veteran, said.
Veterans, active military, and families visited the state museum on Saturday to honor the sacrifices of World War II veterans with the 80th anniversary D-Day salute.
“We have a variety of different objects and artifacts in this exhibition, many of them from the South Carolina State Museum collection, but more importantly, we have artifacts that were provided to us from folks in the communities around the state,” State Museum's curator of African American culture and history, Dr. Ramon Jackson, said.
As part of the D-Day commemoration, the museum opened a new exhibition that shares the stories of South Carolina men and women who contributed to the war effort and Black South Carolinians' pursuit of "double victory" over fascism abroad and segregation at home.
“It really just captures the essence of the thing -- that real people gave up their time, sacrificed; some made the ultimate sacrifice for us to be where we are today," Jackson said. "I wanted to make sure that people understood the Greatest Generation includes everyone. Black and white, Native American, Asian American as well. We wanted to recognize folks from all over South Carolina ... who stood for what was right and gave us what we enjoy."
The exhibition, "Shared Sacrifice: South Carolina in World War II," will be open until 2025. Visitors can see war artifacts such as a holiday card mailed home to Columbia from Pearl Harbor, a uniform worn by a soldier from South Carolina, a variety of military equipment used in the European and Pacific theaters and much more.
“Here we are. If you love where we are, then preserve where we are," US Air Force veteran Barbara Kucharczyk said. "Do what you can to protect where we are so that our next generation has the same benefits and freedoms that we have.”
The new exhibition is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday. It’s included in the museum's general admission, which is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors (62+) and $10 for kids (ages three through 12).