12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
This traveling exhibit details the American prisoner of war experience from the Civil War to modern conflicts. It was created by the National Park Service in cooperation with the American Ex-Prisoners of War and the Friends of Andersonville, to give more citizens the opportunity to explore the American POW story.
This is truly an appropriate exhibit for the Frontiers of Flight Museum. Since the advent of the use of aircraft as weapons of war, many American POWs have been aircrew members who crash-landed or bailed out behind enemy lines. There is an extensive educational value to this exhibit, especially for younger generations who may not have a good understanding about this facet of America’s armed conflicts. They also may not understand that in this context, the “prisoners” were not criminals, but American heroes who resisted their captors while upholding the U.S. Military Code of Conduct. The lighting in the exhibit is subdued to reflect the gloom of the POW camp environment and the prisoners’ existence. Toward the end of the exhibit, a highlighted “FREEDOM” graphic signals the way to the exit as additional graphics celebrate the POWs’ eventual repatriation.
The exhibit includes sections on Capture, Prison Life, Those Who Wait, and Freedom, and displays artifacts and audio-visual interviews from actual prisoners of war which serves as a memorial to all American prisoners of war.