Remembering Pearl Harbor

In the Oahu sim lies a virtual replica of the USS Arizona Memorial, built in honor of the servicemen who fell at Pearl Harbor. On December 7th at 2 PM, a ceremony was held in remembrance.

Read the full story in Community.

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The Western Front

To honor Veterańs Day, I visited the First World War Poetry Digital Archives at the Western Front exhibit. (219, 199, 646).

This site focuses on the First World War and how it was experienced by the British poets, soldiers, and nurses who served in it. The site has archived poetry, letters, interviews and photographs into an interactive exhibit.

At the point of arrival, the site requests that you change into one of its free uniforms, either a soldier or nurse, before you proceed into the encampment. I chose a nursés uniform for my tour. To enhance your viewing, it also gives directions on changing your sky to evoke the mood that existed near the front lines. This is easy to do and adds a lot to the experience.

The exhibit starts with a typical encampment of tents. As you walk through the sim, the sounds of marching soldiers and bugles can be heard. (Walk slowly because it takes time for the soldiers to rez.) When they do, you will hear interviews with the men who lived through that War.

The topics include typical war information on weapons and training, but also less common information on day-to-day life in the camps.

In addition to the figures that rez, there are blue and red boxes scattered around the site. The red boxes are archived interviews, images and videos of the veterans. The blue boxes are readings of the poetry by Edward Thomas, Siegfried Sassoon, and others, accompanied by images of the poets and their manuscripts. There is a teleport to the hospital tents, trenches, and front lines. Near the rear of the site there is a transport that will give you an aerial view of the trench system, but I couldń't get this to work. However, I teleported easily to the hospital tents and trenches.

The interviews at the hospital were an interesting and sober reminder of the horros of  that war.  From here you can walk through the trenches to the front lines. Allow yourself time to go slowly through the trenches because many of the items are not initially visible.

By Grey Lupindo

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War Memorial & War History Museum Annex

By Bixyl Shuftan

I was recently shown a link to a You-Tube of a VE Day ceremony at a memorial area in Second Life, the War Memorial & War History Museum Annex. Taking place on May 8, 2009, on the anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, there were a number of people there, including Fanny Starr whom gave a speech through her daughter’s avatar, Explorer Dastardly.

Going to the memorial, there are a number of signs of statements against war from the Bible to modern speakers such as Isaac Asimov. There are also lone helmets on pedestals and in the middle of the memorial a symbolic torch, “All Mankind is one author and is one volume.” There are also a couple sets of free clothes plus a free t-shirt, and a Betty Grable avatar up for sale.

The memorial’s biggest feature is the wall, made up of many bricks on three sides of the land. A notecard explained why the wall was made, “It became clear that many expressed the fact they personally knew someone who either served their country, was killed or maimed in warfare or killed during a terrorist attack or act of war. And it also became clear that the wars mentioned covered a span of over a century and were all over the world. We then decided a way to memorialize these people should be incorporated within the War History Complex of the TLE Interactive World History Museum. This is how the War Memorial Wall was born.“

People going to the Memorial can purchase bricks for 180 Lindens, the cash going to the upkeep of this and other museum areas. Those who can’t afford 180L are asked to contact Anmarerlice Mayo, Spicy Koba, or Kitvel Silberberg for help in getting a plaque. Upon getting a brick space, the resident then gets a notecard in which one fills whom the brick will be dedicated to, and then drops into a mailbox. The plaque will appear within 24-48 hours. One can “pay tribute to those who served and are thankfully still alive, those who were killed during war or acts of war, or those who were killed during terrorist attacks. This applies to all religions, creeds, nationalities, and beliefs. This is NOT a political wall. This is Tribute to those who served and still do serve.”

Dozens of bricks have already been memorialized in honor of veterans from the United States, Britain, Canada, and other countries, and civilian targets of terrorists and Nazi Germany. There is still plenty of space to fill.

Next to the Memorial is the Military Strategy and Vehicles Annex, which shows a number of military war machines, mostly modern ones. The detail on some is very good, and one can get into the Hummer near the gate, though can’t drive it away.

The War Memorial and History Annex is part of the TLE (The Learning Experience) Interactive World History Museum. It is located at Ileina Cove (101, 194, 21). For those wishing to pay tribute to those who gave their lives to freedom, this is one place they can pause and reflect.

The You-Tube showing the VE ceremony is located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1qUrI0T0Ug&feature=channel

“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” - Isaiah

“History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.” - Ronald Reagan

Bixyl Shuftan

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