STEPHENS CITY, VA — This Memorial Day Weekend, we reflect on members of the Armed Services who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Phil Fravel knows it can be a healing process for those who remain to reflect on their experiences.
“A few years ago, we had a World War II veteran – I think he had some connection to the Martinsburg area. He put it in a way I’d never thought about before. He said, ‘You know, basically I walked across Europe.’ His outfit had landed shortly after D-Day, but he ended up, I think in Czechoslovakia by the end of the war,” Fravel says.
Those musings often happen when veterans come to his events at the American Military Heritage Museum in Stephens City.
On June 12th, the museum will host reenactors and static displays from a number of conflicts. It’ll also serve as a gathering place for veterans:
“Veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam era especially– we’ll have separate reunions for those folks. We try to do a group photograph. We’ve done that for the World War II guys.
Fravel says nearly a hundred women from Berkeley County served during World War II. He’s hoping to see some of them and other veterans who haven’t been to the event before.
The museum is located at 811 Fairfax Pike in Stephens City.
For more information go to the American Military Heritage Museum’s Facebook page.