Stories from the Museum

Welcome to the Dog Tag, Episode 2 of our inaugural season. This week’s show features exciting stories of local veterans told by two of the founding members of the museum. We will walk you through some of the exhibits and stories, starting with World War I through present day. These are stories of local heroes who served our country. Renee and Jim explain the rich history of the county. As you enter the museum, you see a replica of the original Fort Zumwalt. Back then, St. Charles County was considered part of the Wild West, and Daniel Boone was an early settler. In the World War I exhibit, you see many handwritten letters and documents along with “sweetheart art.”  Soldiers would craft and shape empty shell casings or parts of enemy planes into jewelry, picture frames, or a vase for parents or loved ones. We have a large photograph on the wall in our Korea exhibit of the landings at Inchon Bay. The photograph shows U.S. ships and supplies stuck in the mud as the tide drastically shifted out. You’ll see the story about PFC Albert Koch of the 1st Cavalry who boarded a Japanese Ferry, the Toya Maru, and was hit by a typhoon with 118 miles an hour winds. The ship sank with more than 1,000 people losing their lives. Of the 57 Americans on board, including soldiers, women, and children, only one soldier survived. These stories in Korea remind us that we were fighting Mother Nature, as well as the North Koreans and Chinese. United States Marine Corporal James Club and his wife Judy exchanged over 500 letters while he was in Vietnam, mostly on pink paper. While James safely returned home to Judy, many of his friends were not so lucky. Corporal Club explains his feelings through his letters. You’ll read the story of Master Sergeant Matthew Sims, a Combat Medic who earned three Purple Hearts during a single deployment. You’ll also read letters from thankful parents and fellow soldiers thanking him for the opportunity to raise a family because of Matt’s devotion to saving lives. Visit our website, sccvetsmuseum.org, for more of these and other stories. We hope you enjoy this podcast.