Commemorating honor and valor

Mississippi Magazine, Nov-Dec, 2009 by Ann Shivers McNair

With the approach of Veterans Day (November 11), Americans turn their thoughts to the men and women who have given so much for our country. At the Camp Van Dorn World War II Museum in Centreville, though, honoring and remembering veterans is not limited to one day--it is a daily effort.

The museum, which opened in 2005, preserves the history of Camp Van Dorn, a site for rigorous training during World War II. The 99th Division and 63rd Division, who trained at the site, have been instrumental in raising and contributing funds, sending artifacts and memorabilia (including their hard-won medals), and supplying information for the museum.

Sandra Freeman, director of collections for the museum, notes that the museum receives no government aid. The original museum committee, led by the museum's first director, Mildred Field, obtained a grant to restore the building housing the museum, and the citizens and the town of Centreville helped pay off the loan. But the museum would not be what it is today without the help of the veterans it commemorates.

In its less-than five years of existence, the museum has grown in size and in fame. "When we first moved into the building, I wondered how we would ever fill it," Freeman admits. "Now we wish we had twice the space!" Veterans have traveled from afar to visit the museum, and, for most, it is an emotional experience.

Freeman, who is a volunteer herself, notes that the museum is almost entirely run by volunteers, including chief financial officer Emma Zell Knighton, who has been involved with the museum since its very beginning. Knighton lived very near the camp and personally knew many of the training soldiers. She continues corresponding with many of them today.

"The veterans have been very supportive and they express tremendous gratitude for what we are doing," Freeman explains. "World War II was undoubtedly the most traumatic part of their lives and they can never forget it. What they endured, and what they accomplished, is beyond imagination. Their story, which is also this country's story, needs to be told, and these veterans deserve to be remembered and honored."