NEW ORLEANS, LA 9-6-2017 (PART II)

The curious may wish to know that the desiccant worked.  You know that tiny packet of desiccant that comes in your aspirin bottle?  We used a gallon of the stuff in Bee, half in the kitchen and half in the bathroom, to control the humidity during our absence.  Upon returning, we found that all of the desiccant was GONE!  All of it.  The inside of Bee was dry and there was no mold.  We learned something new!

The alleys in New Orleans pretty
much look like this

The tour bus didn’t take us down Bourbon Street (pronounced, “boor-BONE,” the name of the French dynasty that once owned New Orleans).  Bourbon Street is narrow and some sections can’t be driven upon.  Rob and I walked a few blocks of Bourbon Street, just to say we did it.  Our take?  Don’t waste your time.  It is chaotic, dirty, dilapidated, crowded and scary, not unlike portions of the Strip in Vegas.  The end.

Signs on Bourbon Street

Statue of Winston Churchill in New Orleans

World War II could easily be called the mother of all wars.  It is fitting that there be a national museum dedicated to the memory of those who served and sacrificed.  The National World War II Museum is located in New Orleans and everything in it is real.  This includes some of the WW II veterans to whom one can speak at the entrance. 

Two WWII vets with their pictures and documents

They have stories to tell and photo albums to show you and explain the pictures.  Part of the museum is dedicated to the contributions Louisiana made to the war effort.  A citizen of Louisiana, Andrew Higgins designed the landing craft that was used at Normandy and 20,000 of these were constructed in New Orleans.  Both Ike and Churchill agreed that the Higgins boat was the instrument that was the turning point for the victory of the Allies.  After the war, Churchill made a special trip to New Orleans to pay tribute to those who put forth the monumental Higgins boat effort and a statue of Churchill stands near the WWII museum.  Ike said, “Andrew Higgins is the man who won the war for us.  If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs we could never have landed over an open beach.  The whole strategy of the war would have been different.”

Higgins landing craft

In an earlier story, I referred to the thousands of fallen during the Civil War who were buried with graves marked, “Unknown.”  By the time WWII occurred, dog tags were created and there is a stamp machine on display at the museum.  The plaque explains, “One of the first items issued to new recruits upon entering military service was one of a rather morbid nature:  tags to identify their severely wounded or dead bodies.  Commonly called “dog tags” and worn around the neck on a chain or cord, they carried the servicemember’s name, serial number, blood type, religion, and address of their next of kin.  In the event of the bearer’s death, a Graves Registration technician left one tag with the body, and nailed the other to a temporary grave marker.” 

Dog tag stamp machine

Nose art provided a small amount if levity to our experience.  “Overexposed” was a B-24 that was used for reconnaissance.  My Gal Sal didn’t have nose art but the original airplane was recovered after crashing in Greenland and hangs overhead.  The crew knew that they had to run an engine if they were to send a signal to a search plane.  They couldn’t do this because the propellers were impinging on the ground.  It was necessary to cut the propeller tips off to rotate the engine.  The original propeller, its tip and the hacksaw they used are on display. 

They used carrier pigeons during WWII.
This is a pen in which they were kept.

B-17 bomb rack - The B-17 dropped 640,000
tons of bombs, dropping more bombs
than any other US aircraft during WWII

Plane display at the National WWII Museum

The museum cannot be studied and absorbed in a day but we did what we could.  The displays in this museum brought me an infinite sadness.  I was born after the end of WWII but I did not have to live through it to feel the heaviness of heart and soul caused by the horror, pain and losses of the war.  I am thankful for those that made the sacrifices to guarantee my freedoms.  God bless our military folks.

My Gal Sal

We now depart New Orleans.  We have not seen the attractions by half.  Another time.  We are now driving north and west, trying to stay ahead of the negative weather.