By Mark W. Olson

What should people get out of the new veterans exhibit?

Carver County Historical Society curator Larry Hutchings, taking a brief break from his work bench, ponders the question before replying that he hopes it “comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.”

The Veterans Gallery, in the county historical society building, opens at 11 a.m., Nov. 11, Veterans Day.

“It is a memorial to all veterans, in honor of veterans. It’s also a teaching tool,” said society Executive Director Wendy Petersen-Biorn.

From the Civil War all the way to Operation Enduring Freedom, locals have left the rolling farm fields of Carver County for battle. The exhibit is about those who served, Hutchings stressed. “The exhibit is not about war so much as the people who have served. It’s about people, not about war,” Hutchings said.

The exhibit is designed to show how young men and women found themselves “out of their element,” Hutchings said. As an example, he notes that it’s rare for an exhibit in Carver County to include bamboo and banana trees – design elements used to illustrate war in the tropics.

Besides showcasing the museum’s historical military artifacts, the exhibit will include small dioramas ranging from a WWI trench to a Korean War field hospital.

The new veterans exhibit is the latest of three major historical society exhibits spearheaded by Hutchings. For the past year, he has become immersed in the stories of local veterans. It’s hard for Hutchings’ to hide his emotions when he talks about the exhibit. He said it’s giving him “an appreciation for what servicemen and women are doing for us.”

If there’s one common thread that runs through all the soldiers’ stories, Hutchings said, it’s that “war is hell.”

Veterans involved

The museum staff has worked closely with veterans on the exhibit over the past year – from ‘big picture’ items to details, such as how to tie a woman’s military scarf properly, or how many bar patches denote a certain rank. The morning of a reporter’s visit, a WWII Navy veteran from Chanhassen had stopped by to drop off photos and newspaper articles chronicling his service.

Vietnam veteran/volunteer "Rocky" Bye of Victoria.The Veterans Gallery exhibit has also relied heavily on volunteers. One of the volunteers is Wayne “Rocky” Bye, of Victoria. Bye served in the Navy from 1968 and 1972, working with the amphibious forces that dropped off and picked up Marines during the Vietnam War. “I love it,” said Bye, of the exhibit. Bye, a carpenter, was busy fashioning a WWI foxhole for the exhibit.

Much of the collection comes from a veteran – Dan Steinhagen, of Waconia. Steinhagen accumulated 3,200 military artifacts, dating back to the Revolutionary War, before it was acquired by the Carver County Historical Society in 1998. Since then, the military artifacts have been displayed in a gallery across from the Veterans Service Office, which shares a building with the society.

Steinhagen has a passion for the collection. He worked as a veterans service officer for 18 years and served in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1962. He had seven uncles and an aunt who served in WWII. One of his uncles was killed in action. Honoring veterans who died in action became a passion of Steinhagen, who created small display boxes, containing photos and artifacts, that each honored a county soldier who died in action.

Steinhagen is looking forward to the new exhibit. “I think it’s a good idea. You can’t just let a museum stay the same for 50 years. You have to keep changing. You’ve got to get people back,” he said.

The gallery renovation will winnow down the many artifacts previously on display, placing many items in storage, and highlighting others. Steinhagen said he hopes that the items will be better displayed and interpreted, especially for the benefit of young visitors.

“The general public does not realize the cost of these battles – you read about it in the paper and didn’t know the guy, so it’s not a big deal to you. Unless you’re family or if you’re a girlfriend, you really don’t feel the loss the same as those close to the veterans,” Steinhagen said.

The exhibit

Walking into the exhibit, visitors are greeted by an “honor guard” representing the five branches of the military.

The exhibit will include photos of local soldiers of “all times and eras” that visitors can flip through; a place to leave comments; and a map where veterans can mark their area of service.

A Civil War soldier's saddle.Hutchings notes a few of the particularly interesting items in the exhibit – the Nazi arm bands that a POW acquired from his former captor; a beat-up saddle used by a Civil War soldier, riding from St. Louis to Carver County when the war was over; a vase fashioned from a mortar shell.

A corner of the exhibit area includes a small library for reading and reflecting. The gallery also includes a POW display and a war dead memorial, composed of a rifle with a bayonet in the ground next to two boots, capped with a helmet.

“I hope [visitors] leave with the thought that freedom isn’t free and someone has to pay the price,” Steinhagen said.

Carver County Historical Society

Veterans Gallery Opening

What: The Carver County Historical Society recently rehauled its veterans exhibit, adding more interpretative displays. The gallery opening includes performances by the Waconia High School band; a color guard from local veterans organizations; a moment of silence; welcoming remarks from CCHS Executive Director Wendy Petersen-Biorn and CCHS Vice President/Vietnam veteran John Varone; and a ribbon cutting by veteran Dan Steinhagen.

Where: 555 West First Street, Waconia

Date: 11 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11

More info: (952) 442-4234 or www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org

Source: Carver County Historical Society