After a year of being on display at a local retirement community, a local veteran recently donated his display of Korean War artifacts to the Museum of Missouri Military History in Jefferson City.
During his service in Korea, Bernard Schanzmeyer collected many artifacts and memorabilia.
"When I got home later on, I decided I wanted to get each one of those items that we had to carry and then display them - and so I did," Schanzmeyer said.
These items include photos, Schanzmeyer's uniform, awards, combat boots, a commendation gift from the South Korean president, a replica of a helmet with a bullet hole in it he was wearing during a firefight, an envelope from a letter he wrote to his wife, supplies like a compass, map and ammo belt, and much more.
Schanzmeyer and his wife spent several years creating these displays. They bought two glass display cabinets, made labels with comments for each of the items, and assembled the items in the cabinets. When they moved to the Primrose Retirement Community of Jefferson City, they set up the display in the building.
"I had it on display out here for about a year, and then my family and I decided that we should maybe do something else with it, so that's why we decided to donate it to the museum," Schanzmeyer said. "The museum doesn't have much Korean War memorabilia, so this helped."
The couple was recognized at a ribbon-cutting dedication ceremony Nov. 6 during Military History Appreciation Weekend at the Ike Skelton Training Site (2405 Logistics Road), where the museum is located.
Schanzmeyer was drafted into the United States Army in September 1950 at age 22. He served one year in Korea as a combat infantry rifleman where he was awarded four bronze stars.
On Dec. 24, 1951, Schanzmeyer boarded a troop ship in Japan to come home. He arrived in Seattle in mid-January 1952. Then, he was assigned to Fort Leonard Wood, where he spent two eight-week periods as a platoon sergeant, leading basic training for recruits. His active service ended in July 1952.
Schanzmeyer also wrote a book about his service in the Korean War, titled "My Tour of Duty in the United States Army - a Korean War Documentary" in 2004 and dedicated it to his wife, Jean. She had saved the letters he had written her, which allowed him to piece together dates and locations to write the book.
Copies of both of these books are part of the Korean War display.
The couple hopes by reading Schanzmeyer's account, their 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren will grow in their knowledge and respect for the sacrifices made by service men and women.
Bernard and Jean celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary Saturday. Schanzmeyer's second book, "This is Livin," written in 2012, is a documentary about the couple's life experiences, including their parents and ancestors, upbringing, business interests, travels and family activities.