Welcome Letter
I am excited that you are visiting this web site. The site grew as a projected online site for the Hessian-American
Military Historical Society. The HAMHS was a club that offered that amateur historian in you a chance to grow and expand.
Originally the Rhein-Neckar Military Historical Society, the club changed its name in October, 2006.
The Veteran's Memorial Museum came into being in July, 2001, at Babenhausen Kaserne. This coincided with the 4th of July
German-American Fest weekend and over 300 people visited the museum that weekend. We opened every first Sunday of the month
for the general public and were preparing for our September opening when the events of 911 changed the way we had to operate.
It took over two years to have the general public be able to visit the museum again, within the guidelines of Force Protection.
We continued to update the exhibits during this time and did have US school classes, Boy and Girls Scouts and various US military
organization visit the museum.
The name of the museum came about as a direct relation to our very active US Civil War reenactment group for the 4th
Maine Infantry Regiment here in Europe. We wore the Volunteer Maine Militia VMM buckle but by the time the museum first opened
our reenactment group had ceased to be active, due to soldier PCS'ing and other members moving away or having other activities
that did not allow them to travel as much. When we looked for a name for the museum it was decided to use the VMM initials
and the Veteran's Memorial Museum was born.
Babenhausen closed in 2006 and we were forced to find a new home. It did not look good but the last commander of USAG
Darmstadt, LTC David Astin, allowed us to occupy a building on the Griesheim Kaserne, home of the American Stars and Stripes.
We knew that this was going to be a short term location but we quickly moved in over the winter of 2006/07 and reopened on
4 July 2007. The space was much larger so you will see a different exhibt arrangement than we used at Babenhausen. .
In April 2007 it was announced that USAG Darmstadt would close by the end of September 2008, closing out a 63-year history
of an American presence in this German city. Our last official open day was 30 March 2008, to say good-bye to the community
and celebrate the 63rd anniversary of American troops entering Darmstadt for the first time on 25 March 1945. The closure
also signaled the end of the HAMHS as an approved Private Organization within the US community in Europe.
It is my intent to contine the web site as a virtual tour of exhibits that were in our museums. Both museums displayed
artifacts throughout US military history. It will also attempt to show the interaction between the US and Germany during
this history. Lastly, this site will be a place to keep alive the memory of American life in the city of Darmstadt for those
that have called the city home since March of 1945. I am continuously obtain Darmstadt related items, both US and
German. This will find their why onto this site on thir own page and photo album.
Eventually I will be finding my way back to my home state of Maine. I hope to continue a physical presence there for
the museum. If I am unable to do this I will try to do my best to keep those memories alive and to honor the military veteran
of both countries with this web site. In addition, I am thinking seriously of leaving more items related to the US history
of Darmstadt with the August Euler Luftfahrt Museum that will hopefully open at the airfield within the next few years. I
will keep people up to date about this here on the web site as details are worked out.
