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Fredericksburg Texas is Mecca For World War II Buffs

By Marian Betancourt

Did you know that it wasn't until World War II that men began wearing wedding rings? This is just one interesting tidbit that surfaced during a recent visit to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, in the hill country between Austin and San Antonio.

There are more than 15,000 artifacts from beer passes to fighter planes and a Japanese submarine in this ever expanding 9-acre museum complex dedicated to those who served in the Pacific in World War II.  In the Pacific Combat Zone you can watch Movietone news clips, and view battles from the American and Japanese point of view. Walking through the exhibition corridors of and other artifacts, allows you to follow the path of history from the beginning of the 20th century to better understand the events that lead up to World War II.

There's also a Center for Pacific World Studies, the George Bush gallery, and the Admiral Nimitz museum which is currently closed for renovations. The museum regularly schedules reenactments, seminars, and other programs and is always looking for artifacts to add to its collection.

Part of the museum is in the restored Steamboat Hotel, built in 1825 by retired sea captain and German immigrant, Charles Nimitz. He was the grandfather of Admiral Chester Nimitz (1885-1966), commander in chief of the Pacific theater and the last of the five star admirals. Fredericksburg was settled by German immigrants in the 19th century who built and sustained farms and got along well with their Comanche Indian neighbors. The sea captain, now landlocked, undoubtedly built the hotel to remind him of his seafaring days.

In his later years, Admiral Nimitz did much to restore goodwill with Japan by raising funds to restore one of Admiral Togo's battleships. In turn, the Japanese people presented the museum with the Japanese Garden of Peace to honor Admiral Nimitz. It is a replica of Admiral Togo's meditation garden in Japan with three basic elements: stone, plants, and water. It was disassembled and shipped to Fredericksburg and reassembled by the same craftsmen who built it in Japan.

In addition to having enough history to divert you from your couch and the History Channel for a couple of days, Fredericksburg has exceptionally good restaurants (traditional German and Texan as well as gourmet), and antique shops.

And if you want to complete your World War II experience, stay at the Hangar Hotel at the Gillespie County Airport, just outside of town. Many guests fly into this nifty hotel that has all the modern amenities, but was built to resemble an old military hangar. A few strategically placed palm trees continue the South Pacific theme inspired by the museum. The rooms are decorated in the period complete with brown bomber jacket leather chairs.

Music of the 1940s is piped into the lobby and even outside all day and into the night. Displayed at the front desk is a vintage typewriter that today's computer geeks may never have seen, never mind used. The diner next store, with "Welcome Pilots" painted on the side, provides burgers and malts on weekends. (While the décor is authentic 1940s, the prices are not.)

In the evening you can relax at the Officers Club, where there's a fireplace, a grand piano, pool table, and a full bar with a martini list longer than the airfield runway. On one soft spring evening, drinks in hand, guests on the hotel porch watch one plane after another take off into the wild blue yonder. As the guests wave or raise their glasses, the pilots dip their wings in gratitude.
 
"They like to show off," someone says with a chuckle. For a moment time stops and with Glen Miller playing in the background, it's easy to get a lump in your throat.

Oh, about those wedding bands. Before World War II, it wasn't customary for men to wear wedding rings. However, this was the first war in which married men were drafted. They began wearing the rings to remind them they had a special reason to come home from the war. It was like a promise.

If You Go
The National Museum of the Pacific War
340 East Main Street
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
830-997-4379
www.nimitz-museum.org
Hours: Daily except Christmas from 10 am to 5 pm
Admission: Adults $5, Students, $3. Children under 12 and members of Admiral Nimitz Foundation are admitted free.

Hangar Hotel
155 Airport Road
Fredericksburg, Texas 78624
830-997-9990
www.hangarhotel.com
Rates from $109 to $149
Reduced rates from $99 to $129 for active and retired military and seniors

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