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Deanna Kluender spent many days during the COVID-19 pandemic hard at work. She can finally take somewhat of a breather.
Kluender, the Operations Coordinator at the Missouri National Veterans Memorial, played a big part in the James A. Eddleman Veterans and Military Museum, which opened August 1.
“It’s important that we recognize those who have served in all conflicts and what they have sacrificed for us to enjoy the freedoms that we have every day,” Kluender said.
The museum opened Phase 1 of the project that focuses primarily on Eddleman’s military story in Vietnam and includes displays and timelines chronicling the Vietnam War. The museum also added a firearms collection that displays rifles dating as far back as the Civil War.
“We wanted to focus on Jim and the Vietnam War to get started,” Kluender said. “As we continue, we will include all conflicts and things from basic training. The guns have all been donated from different individuals.”
It’s been a labor of love for Kluender as she compiled the information for the timeline and she talked with Vietnam veterans to find correct era pieces to tell the story of the Vietnam War the right way.
“When everything was shut down in March, that’s what I did,” Kluender said. “I spent a lot of my time researching the Vietnam War from home. It’s been stressful at times, but I’ve enjoyed every minute.”
The museum is open from Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and the museum has enjoyed a steady stream of visitors since the day they officially opened.
Kluender noted that her background as a retired teacher from Perry County School District No. 32 has played a part in the project.
“My goal for the museum is education and to start conversations,” Kluender said. “To be here with visitors and listen to them talk with their wife or their grandchildren as they look at the displays and it reminds them of some of their experiences, or things they may have at home and forgot about. That can start a discussion within a family.”
The museum has also sparked interest from veterans from outside Perry County and that is the case with David Dee from Sikeston, who perused the museum with his wife for more than one hour last Thursday, taking photos of each display.
Dee, an Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War, found the museum quite interesting.
“We heard about it and had to come see what it was about,” Dee said. “I’m just thankful that there is something like that here.”
While some are thankful for the opportunity to view Vietnam from another perspective, others have a harder time.
“We had a visitor come in and walk around for a little bit and said he couldn’t look anymore,” Kluender said. “War can affect people in different ways.”
There are plans for a phase 2 that will include a display donated by the late Ed Kiefner, but for now Kluender will enjoy what has been completed.
“Everyone has been asking me when this would be finished,” she said. “Now that it is, I just want to share it with everyone.”
