For the month of October, stop by the lobby on the first floor of the Schurz Library at IU South Bend to see an exhibit of military art and history. “The Things They Carried: Sequences” collects items used by veterans, as well as their stories — soon to be shared online. The exhibit is in four sections. One highlights the classic and most influential works of literature concerning the experience of war, from The Kite Runner to For Whom the Bell Tolls, including (of course) Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Another section also highlights works of beauty from the battlefield, this time in the form of “trench art” objects.
Two other sections have a historical bent. One illustrates the change in helmets and head gear worn by soldiers and sailors from World War I to World War II to the Korean and Vietnam Wars to the Cold War and both Gulf Wars. The last section showcases the person items carried by veterans, including dog tags and neckerchiefs and lighters and pocket knives and compasses. Every artifact was seen by its owner as important enough to keep for years after their service.
The material on display was loaned by current IU South Bend students, alumni, faculty and staff, community members, and the History Museum. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
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