A tribute to veterans
Nov. 8—KALIDA — The Putnam County Historical Society dedicated its new military room on Sunday.
The dedication coincided with the museum's Veterans Day program.
Work on the room began two years ago.
"At least two of us, sometimes three or four of us, spend four or five hours every week, some of us spend more than that," said Janis Lentz, board member.
The idea behind it started three years ago during the anniversary of the armistice.
"We put stuff out and realized we had a lot of stuff that wasn't on display. So, we began a plan to use what we call our 'handicap room,' which has ramps in it, and totally dedicate it to the military," said Nancy Kline, museum trustee.
Deciding what to include in the military room was tough.
"We did have a lot to consider. Most things were boxed and upstairs because the little room that we had was just very tiny and it was only capable of displaying a few uniforms and a few hats. We had to go through all the boxes and organize everything according to the wars," said Donna Burgei, museum trustee.
Recognizing the sacrifices that were made by the military men and women of Putnam County was paramount in making this a reality.
"I felt that our nation's heroes deserved a bigger and better place, a more accommodating space for them. We're very proud we could get it in an orderly fashion. We put them in chronological order from the beginning of our wars until the present day," said Karla Altenburger, trustee member.
The military room features several uniforms from Putnam County military members.
"It's a three-tiered cabinet and with each uniform, there is a tag that you can see where it tells the name of the person, where they served and what their rank was and it's enclosed in glass. The other thing is we have a long shelf that includes everything from Purple Hearts to memorial flags that were given at the death of a veteran," Kline said.
There's also a Wall of Remembrance with the names of those Putnam County military personnel, killed in war.
"It's kind of hard to look at, because for me, I know some of those people," Kline said.
The Putnam County Historical Society Museum is located at 201 E. Main St., in Kalida.
It is open on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Reach Sam Shriver at 567-242-0409.
