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#31: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: Doug_Kibbey, Location: The Great Satan

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 5:59 pm
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- Joe_D

Just absolutely sickens me that both Aberdeen and Knox's collections along with their archives are now unavailable for public access and will be for the rest of my life it seems. The real danger is the longer they go "Tucked Away" the greater the chance of them being irrelevant to future generations. Then one day someone will realize the loss and will have to scrape together whatever survived and lament how a Nation so rich allowed this history to decay and disappear. Don't think some "Unscrupulous" individuals wouldn't be tempted to "Liberate" items and Documents while in storage, History has seen this before. I truly hope I am wrong. But in the meantime I have no plans to leave my collection of TM's and photos to any Government run establishment based on what I've seen lately, unless (Shames me to say this) it's another Country that actually would appreciate it or a private institution that has an actual trust that is adhered to.

Hoping things change and keeping my fingers crossed.

Joe,
Increasingly, it's private and especially university collections that can be most relied upon (in this country, anyway) to preserve archival materials. The issue is identifying the most reliable repository, which varies according to focus. (We've just seen what can happen with private collections)

Currently (and for quite some time now), the most reliable and dedicated facility related to Vietnam-related collections (for example) is the Vietnam Center & Archive at Texas Tech University. They have climate controlled facilities for the archive of any and all personal collections that do not circulate, but are available on-site for review by researchers, etc. They accept anything from a single document to the recent donation of four restored Vietnam-service helicopters from Chuck Carlock (!)

The Carlock Helicopter Collection

I have a couple of footlockers of personal VN stuff from photo albums, documents and artifacts that I intend to bequeath to the collection, because I most trust them with this stuff compared to ANY government-operated entity.

The Vietnam Center and Archive

You just need to find the most appropriate place for your collection. Wink

#32: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: piney, Location: Republic of Southern New Jersey

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:25 pm
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Doug
not to get OT but on your Aberdeen visit did Bob manage to get you into the "hidden" small arms room. Just the items in that room represented an enormous treasure of history and study opportunities. I haven't heard one word about those items and I wonder where they ended up.

#33: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: Rick_Eshleman, Location: Lewes, Delaware, USA

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:59 pm
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Piney/Doug, I remember seeing the swords and older rifles in a room across from the Ordnance Museum. These were shown to me by a staff member when I was helping restore the Ford 3 ton tank. The building is long torn down, any idea if they went to the National archives? Rick

#34: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: Doug_Kibbey, Location: The Great Satan

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:02 pm
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- piney

Doug
not to get OT but on your Aberdeen visit did Bob manage to get you into the "hidden" small arms room. Just the items in that room represented an enormous treasure of history and study opportunities. I haven't heard one word about those items and I wonder where they ended up.

I have taken an oath of silence regarding "The Vault". Laughing

#35: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: piney, Location: Republic of Southern New Jersey

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:20 pm
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now I wish I had taken a lot more photos, I had to take 3 oaths of silence Wink

like a visit to Aladin's cave of wonders

Last edited by piney on Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:24 pm; edited 1 time in total

#36: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: Doug_Kibbey, Location: The Great Satan

Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:22 pm
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- piney

now I wish I had taken a lot more photos, I had to take 3 oaths of silence

I have a few pics of the place I did not go. Rolling Eyes

#37: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: ChrisC,

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 2:59 am
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[/quote] Increasingly, it's private and especially university collections that can be most relied upon (in this country, anyway) to preserve archival materials. The issue is identifying the most reliable repository, which varies according to focus. (We've just seen what can happen with private collections)[/quote]

We have been working diligently to build our archival collection and make it searchable for folks wanting to do research, but in todays climate, it is a battle just to keep the lights on. When I see what the Army did to their museum system, it makes me ill, I would give my right arm for just a tiny portion of what they fritter away.
www.mimths.org

#38: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: armyjunk2,

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:29 am
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the time I visited the vault at Aberdeen we had no security checks, you could have walked out with anything you could carry. I was surprised.. but not very.

#39: Re: Fort Benning / Fort Lee Updates? Author: Doug_Kibbey, Location: The Great Satan

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:48 am
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- armyjunk2

the time I visited the vault at Aberdeen we had no security checks, you could have walked out with anything you could carry. I was surprised.. but not very.

I'm given to understand that some sort of audit had revealed concerns along those lines, leading to a lot more discretion regarding visitor access and pledges of triple-secret silence.

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