Honor Table featured at ‘Race to the Rhein’
Within the onsite museum housed in the Crestview Senior Center in Spanish Trail Park will be a simple long table, shrouded in a white tablecloth with interlaced red, white and blue touches and flickering candles.
The Honor Table, recognizing locals’ World War II veteran parents, grandparents, and other ancestors who are the war’s often unsung heroes, is being coordinated by Pam Coffield, who has organized Honor tables for two previous World War II events in Crestview.
“We do this in honor of our heroes,” Coffield said. “It reminds us of the selfless people who did so much to make the Allies victorious.”
Those wishing to salute an ancestor or relative may bring a framed photograph of the honoree to the Bush House/Crestview History Museum anytime during open hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays).
Tags are provided to identify the veterans, their branch of service, and in which theatre of operations they served. Photos must be 8.5 x 11 inches or smaller, framed, and self-standing with either a built-in or freestanding easel.
The photos will be treated with the honor and reverence they deserve and displayed at the World War II museum set up in the Senior Center during the April 4 and 5 event, and then at the April 5 Victory Dance in Warriors Hall that concludes the weekend.
“This year is the 80th anniversary of our victory in World War II,” Coffield said. “Every day we lose more and more of our veterans from the war. The Honor Table is our way of recognizing the sacrifices they made for our freedom and that of our Allies.”
HOW TO PROVIDE AN HONOR TABLE PHOTO
• Take your loved one’s photo to the Bush House/Crestview History Museum, 198 S. Wilson St., through Tuesday, April 1.
• You may also take the photo on Thursday, April 3 to the temporary museum to be set up in the Crestview Senior Center in Spanish Trail Park.
• Photos must be framed and self-standing, with a built-in easel or a separate, freestanding easel
• Photos must be 8.5” x 11” or smaller
• Complete an identifier tag — available at the Bush House or at the Senior Center — to identify the person in the photo and who is honoring him or her
• Photos may be picked up at the Bush House after the Race to the Rhein weekend and Victory Dance, beginning Monday, April 7.
Every effort will be made to assure your loved one’s photo is treated with the utmost reverence and care. For more information, call (850) 398-5459 or email hughesb@cityofcrestview.org.
Editor’s note: Brian Hughes is the city of Crestview’s cultural services specialist.