Story appeared on front page of The Natchez Democrat
(Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023)
By Roscoe Barnes III
Special to The Natchez Democrat
G.
Mark LaFrancis, director of Military Museum and Veterans Welcome Center, which is
sponsored by the Home with Heroes Foundation Inc.
NATCHEZ, Miss. – The director of Natchez’s only Military
Museum and Veterans Welcome Center is asking the public for military
memorabilia to display in its new home at 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd.
"The Military Museum and Veterans' Welcome Center fulfill
a dream we have had with the Home With Heroes Foundation," said G. Mark
LaFrancis, museum director and president of the foundation. "In a way,
it's a gift to the community, especially the veterans' community. We will
display many, many donated and loaned items, quite a few are from local
residents and veterans. Also, we have the 'Try Me On' section to allow young
visitors to dress up as military individuals."
LaFrancis said he’s looking for military artifacts and
keepsakes that include such things as combat boots, caps, helmets, gloves,
military shoes, web belts, canteens, military pictures with frames, art work.
He's also looking for models of military aircraft, ships, and tanks. He would
also like to have a globe on display, he said.
Items may be shared with the museum as donations for
permanent exhibits or as a loan for temporary display, LaFrancis said.
A grand opening is planned for October.
“We have big plans for when we go forward,” LaFrancis
said. “We will have many exciting and important programs for the community. We
now have a recognizable home, a place where we can help our veterans and their
loved ones.”
LaFrancis said the museum is not just a place to see, but
a place where people of all ages can come and learn about veterans and military
service.
"Prize possessions include a massive display of
original G.I. Joe figures, a patriotic quilt made by the folks of the Natchez
Quilting Guild, and the original welder's mask of Mary Baroni Warren, who
welded on ships and planes on the coast during World War II,” LaFrancis said.
“I anticipate veterans will be on hand to greet people and to take advantage of
their own welcome and information center, a first of its kind in the
region."
One of the exhibits, “The Wall of Remembrance,” features
photographs of 75 military personnel from Mississippi who were killed in action
in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"We want visitors and veterans to feel at home in
our museum and center, and to learn about the tremendous contribution veterans
have made to our community and nation," LaFrancis added.
In addition to dozens of exhibits in the new location,
the museum will host authors, speakers, and movies at other locations in
Natchez. Two upcoming movies include:
* “The Hello Girls” (2018), which tells the story of the
223 women the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent to France in 1918 as telephone
operators to help win the Great War. “Hello Girls” was the informal name for
the American women who served as switchboard operators.
* “Six Triple Eight” (2023),
which dramatizes the story of the 855 Black women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion who cleared
a three-year backlog of undelivered mail. They helped to deliver more than 17
million pieces of mail near the end of the war. Film is directed by Tyler
Perry.
As a Welcome Center, the museum will assist veterans by
seeking to answer their questions and provide them with information on veteran
benefits and other issues of concern, LaFrancis said. A computer will be
available for their use.
In recent years, the museum has sponsored bus trips to
the World War II museum in New Orleans. LaFrancis and his team of volunteers
also participate in the annual Wreaths Across America and Veterans Day parade.
The museum is a nonprofit with 501-c3 status. It
originally opened in 2018 at the VFW Post 9573 building at 318 Sgt. Prentiss
Drive near Walmart. The VFW provided a room for the museum on the second floor.
LaFrancis noted the new location has more visibility and easier access than the
previous site.
For more information call 601-442-0980 or send email to homewithheroes@live.com
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