Museum, radio clubs plan to honor U.S. soldiers

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Stars and Stripes Museum in Bloomfield, Mo., will join forces with area radio clubs to honor America's military around the world.

"This is an event that is quite unusual," said Dr. Frank Nickell, museum board member and history professor at Southeast Missouri State University. "We have never done anything like this before, and we hope a lot of people learn about the newspaper because it is the publication of our military."

The historical museum, birthplace of the Stars and Stripes Military Newspaper in 1861, will hold an event Friday and Saturday in which two local amateur radio clubs will operate a station and call the signal "CQ," the international signal alerting other amateur stations to call in.

"We were actually contacted by the local amateur radio operators about doing this," Nickell said. "They do this on a regular basis. They actually recommended us and our location as a good place to do this. Their goal is to contact people all over the country and inform them about not only the newspaper, but what we have going on here with the museum and the cemetery."

Stations that respond will have an opportunity to learn about the museum and its activities, including the newspaper. Operators making contact will also receive a certificate with a picture of the museum and information about its programs. Amateurs collect these certificates as part of their history, and it is not uncommon for amateur radio operators to make contact as far away as Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe.

"Our goal is to eventually be able to change the name of the museum to the Stars and Stripes National Museum," Nickell said. "We hope the exposure here with this event will get our message out, not just with people around here but across the world."

jsamons@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245