As an American, the RW and CW were pivotal moments in US that have great emotional content to all. As a youngster, we visited Fort Ticonderoga (see image at left), where for the first time, I had the sense of this is where it happened and it started my interest in collecting weapons. I also had the same feeling when we visited Gettysburg eight years later.
In the Civic Religion of any nation, there are places that have a sense of awe if not holiness. Gettysburg moved me from the excitement of a child gained at Ticonderoga to wanting to know much more about the men who fought these wars, the reasons for the fighting, and just a new found love of military history. I put this interest into practice and recently retired after 32 years or Community College Teaching. Yes, I created a military history course at my institution. As an educator, owning and shooting pieces of our history has given me a better understanding of those who were there, the technology of the day, and a deeper understanding to those awful and monumental events that I have passed to my students. My Mark I Martini-Henry, 1863 Springfield, 1841 Dreyse, 1918 T-Gewehr, Etc. also resonate other periods of military history, technology and with the soldiers who carried them.
Museums are amazing and wonderful places. I have been to the museum at Spandau several times and all I can say about those visits is fantastisch! However, I have found that students who own pieces of history or are tuned into some oral history, better understand history and the importance of knowing where they and all of us have come from. Some day the T-Gewehr will be behind glass in a museum as nothing else I own rises to the level of being worthy of such presentation. For now, I just restore, preserve, and mostly make smoke.
Randy
