LQQKING for CAP historical display at NASM

[ascorbate]

One of our squadron's senior officers recently visited the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, DC including the new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia and commented that both museums were devoid of any kind of CAP historical display. Could anyone confirm or deny this?

[CAPSGT]

I think I once saw a single photo depicting CAP there....that's about it.

[cnitas]

The displays change every few years.  The NASM on the Mall used to have a small kiosk-like display a while back with a ww2 style uniform and a plackard with some info.  I do not know if there is currently anything on display.  

Udvar-Hazy has not had any display that I am aware of.  U-H mostly displays aircraft, and not much 'extra' fluff.

[ascorbate]

Well, I guess I wonder if the CAP Historical Foundation (http://www.caphistory.org) or the formation of some critical-core group of CAP members might step up to remedy this situation. As a volunteer organization, there can be little doubt that we are all maxxed out (eg. have things falling off our plates) when it comes to taking on additional responsibilities in CAP but it also seems to this senior officer that we are doing ourselves a great dis-service by not taking tangible steps to tell CAP's story to the American public when they come to the most-visited museum in the world!

BTW: I'm not volunteering to take on this task but maybe we can get some insights into what the CAP Historical Foundation might be doing/planning?

[RADIOMAN015]

I think this is an example exactly where the entire Public Affairs overall planning fails (remember CAP has a full time paid PA staff that should be looking at this, by coordinating with members that are participating in the history project).  We should have historical exhibits (perhaps just a small kiosk at the Air Force Museum, Wright Patterson as well as the NASM).  Even some pictures and a short audio visual story about us with a phamplet would be great.   
RM

[ascorbate]

I think this is an example exactly where the entire Public Affairs overall planning fails (remember CAP has a full time paid PA staff that should be looking at this, by coordinating with members that are participating in the history project).

I might have surmised that CAP had one full time paid Public Affairs person (who was overwhelmed) but heck, if there is PA Staff (plural) at NHQ, then how might one go about putting this issue squarely on their plate? Do they work with the CAP Historical Foundation?

BTW: I know that Bill Schell passed away recently and I understand that CAP went to his home and packed-up all his memorabilia... one would think that this is the kind of stuff that should be in a museum somewhere!

[RiverAux]

I think that CAP has made a mistake in not just joining in as part of the overall Air Force historical program.   We should be putting our historical documents and other items in their archives and museums rather than going after the pipedream of having our own.  Modern day document storage and museums are extremely expensive and there is just no way that CAP is ever going to have the money to do it right. 

The fact that we've had the "national museum" web page for almost 4 years but have not seen anything at all significant added to it since then is evidence enough for me. 

[RADIOMAN015]

I might have surmised that CAP had one full time paid Public Affairs person (who was overwhelmed) but heck, if there is PA Staff (plural) at NHQ, then how might one go about putting this issue squarely on their plate? Do they work with the CAP Historical Foundation?

BTW: I know that Bill Schell passed away recently and I understand that CAP went to his home and packed-up all his memorabilia... one would think that this is the kind of stuff that should be in a museum somewhere!

Very tragic & a great loss to us in CAP with his passing.

Regarding Public Affairs Staffing, the latest directory shows 5 personnel (200 man hours per week) directly assigned to the public affairs function.  Creative and Printing Services also has 4 personnel (160 man hours per week), Aerospace Education also has 4 personnel (160 man hours per week).  That's a lot of available manhours!!!!  These sections along with some key remaining CAP historians (could be the working group), in my opinion, surely could put together some exhibts together, albeit maybe even small temporary ones, fairly quickly.

The museum exhibits are something the paid professional staff should have had on their radar screens long ago!  

RM    

[ascorbate]

I think that CAP has made a mistake in not just joining in as part of the overall Air Force historical program.   We should be putting our historical documents and other items in their archives and museums rather than going after the pipedream of having our own.  Modern day document storage and museums are extremely expensive and there is just no way that CAP is ever going to have the money to do it right.

Ditto... on that!

The fact that we've had the "national museum" web page for almost 4 years but have not seen anything at all significant added to it since then is evidence enough for me. 

Even BIGGER Ditto... on that!

[ascorbate]

The museum exhibits are something the paid professional staff should have had on their radar screens long ago!

HUGE Ditto... on that!

[RiverAux]

While I agree that CAP historical displays at AF museums have a public affairs function, I don't think I would put it very high up on the NHQ public affairs program "to-do" list. 

I think our CAP member historians probably could work with the professional staff at the relevant AF museums to come up with the right materials and information to make high quality displays.  I would put it real close of the top of their agenda.   

[alamrcn]

I don't think the USAF would care to, or should, take over ANY part of our historical program. It's our responsibility, as defunct as parts of it may be.

But I agree whole heartily that National Headquarters staffing should now take steps to display our history in all the appropriate public venues mentioned. A lot of effort and money has gone in to the gathering of articles and artifacts over the last decade, and now would be a good time to start taking that step.

Who might be willing to devote space and manage a CAP display on a CONSTANT basis?
- National Air and Space Museum
- Wright-Patterson USAF Museum (had something for CAP)
- Experimental Aircraft Owners Association facility

I know very little about museums, but they and exhibition halls as I understand it, have more in storage and warehouses that what is actually out for view. So display space is obviously at a premium.

[RiverAux]

I don't think the USAF would care to, or should, take over ANY part of our historical program. It's our responsibility, as defunct as parts of it may be.

I wasn't saying that they should take over the program, just serve as the actual repository of documents and items.  It would still be up to CAP historians to decide what should go there.   

And, you can already find quite a lot of CAP materials in various AF archives if you know where to look, so it wouldn't be a stretch. 

Compared to the amount of stuff that the AF itself is no doubt generating, CAP wouldn't be sending all that much.  My guess would be that we're talking about probably 2-5 feet a year of shelf space for documents. 

[Cecil DP]

I don't think the USAF would care to, or should, take over ANY part of our historical program. It's our responsibility, as defunct as parts of it may be.

I wasn't saying that they should take over the program, just serve as the actual repository of documents and items.  It would still be up to CAP historians to decide what should go there.   

The CAP Historians may recommend or request that an item be displayed, but it's the museum curator's decision. I have seen CAP displays in the NASM in the past and know that at one time there was a CAP aircraft at the AF Museum at Wright-Patterson. The curators routinely rotate the items on display to ensure that there is always something new for the visitor's. As posted elsewhere the NASM has more items in storage than they can fit into the museum so they do rotate items on a regular basis.

[RiverAux]

What I meant was that it would be CAP historians making the decisions about what should be sent to the archives or the museum.  Of course it is up to the actual curators what would be displayed or if there were some documents that they didn't want to preserve.  However, even in the case of artifact displays you're going to want CAP historians working closely with the curator as to what goes on since they won't know the subject nearly as good as we do.  They're probably going to be much more skilled in making an eye-pleasing display but might not be the best judges of content. 

[Smithsonia]

There is a nice display, even if I say so myself on the largest single mission save in CAP history. It is at Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, CO. I have discussed this project on another thread.
Click Here:
http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=6642.0

It was built to professional standards. Although I am a historian this was actually my first museum exhibit. I have participated in numerous museum exhibits over the years as a researcher and writer... but this was my first exhibit as a CAP Project Officer. We dedicated about 2500 man hours: retrieving aircraft debris, putting together several associated events (a commemoration and unveiling) building models, putting the exhibit together etc. There was also a large amount of press coverage (20 statewide newspaper articles and broadcast TV News packages.)

So this was a concerted effort over a 15 month period. That said, the project is done and most agree that it was well worth the time.

The TV News Package is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VZJhTMURs4
There's an additional You Tube Package built by Capt. Scott Orr, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EyJmkER-d8

Here is the Denver Post article on the Exhibit unveiling:
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11844780

We also got a very nice front page story in the now defunct Rocky Mountain News, click here:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/03/chadron-state-wrestlers-way-dia-injured-i-25-crash/

I am also working on a Maj. General John Curry exhibit to go to the same museum or state historical musuem. I've discussed this project on CapTalk here:
http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=5582.0