What happens to veterans’ memorabilia and medals over time after their military service? Some local veterans are trying to find a new permanent home for them to be displayed, so fewer items from their service end up in storage.
Former Army Specialist Fourth Class Ron Krul served in Vietnam during the 1960s. He has even seen medals being sold at flea markets, since veterans and their families have limited options.
“We’ve found Purple Hearts at flea markets, Bronze Stars, Silver Stars. People selling these artifacts, military memorabilia for a few dollars at a flea market," he said. "And it represents somebody who made a significant contribution to their country, and it's disheartening to see.”
Krul says many American Legion posts and other veteran services organizations now have boxes of memorabilia because many retired service members or their families have nowhere else to bring items.
“There's such a large amount of them in all the organizations, that these organizations put them in boxes and just store them," he said. "They don't know what to do with them. They don't have the space to display everything that people provide for them.”
Krul, who is urging the creation of a center to keep and display military mementos, believes there is dual potential for a local museum of military artifacts, creating a tourist attraction and ensuring memorabilia doesn’t end up forgotten. The history museum and naval park each represent notable resources, but they’re limited on space, he added.
When they seek help from federal or state elected leaders to find a place for these mementos, those leaders usually cite a lack of available funds as a reason why it can’t happen, Krul said.
