Every year, Memorial Day reminds us of the sacrifices of our veterans and active duty military. We live in a wonderful country and have the freedom to explore nature, visit museums, and trek to science centers because of their sacrifices overseas. All of us, everywhere and every day, should pause to thank those who have defended our way of lives and granted us the freedoms which we so enjoy.

Image courtesy of the US Army For those of us who have the privilege of creating museums and military exhibits that honor our soldiers, we have an extra opportunity to express our utmost gratitude. Through our exhibits we can teach the general public about soldiers’ sacrifices, about our military’s heroics, and about why it is so important to honor and remember those who have served in the armed forces.

But war is not the easiest history to teach. How do we best interpret sensitive – and at times controversial – subjects such as warfare? How do we create military exhibit themes that tackle traumatic subject matter? How do we design content that honors our veterans – yet doesn’t honor warfare, strife, partisanship, and other evils that war often entails? Around Memorial Day in particular, we in the museum field must be extra sensitive to honoring our soldiers and presenting the history of wars in the most appropriate manner.

Ask for Input

How do we do this? For one, whenever we create a military exhibit about our soldiers, we must ask for their input. How absurd to think that someone like myself, who has never served in the military, can write their history! I will never know of their sacrifices, never know of their hardships, and thus I can only honor them by seeking their collaboration on all exhibit projects that tell of their lives and legacy. I was extremely blessed to work for Go For Broke National Education Center in Los Angeles, as we created a brand new interpretive center honoring the Japanese American veterans of World War II. Our entire process involved the veterans themselves (and their relatives), and it was they who told us what to include in our exhibits.

Present without Bias

Secondly, when we are creating military exhibits about still-controversial subjects, we must present every side without bias. For many people in both the North and South, the Civil War remains a touchy subject even 150 years after the last shots were fired. It is our job as historians and interpreters to offer an unbiased viewpoint that presents facts relating to both sides, and we error when we seek to tell a biased narrative that only takes into account Union or Confederate voices (and not both). I was lucky enough to work for the Library of Congress, researching content and artifact selection for their Civil War and American Memory exhibition. My bosses were experts in the interpretive field, and they drilled into me the practice of never showing any bias when selecting which content to include.

Avoid False Narratives

Finally, even though we must remain unbiased, we cannot feature false narratives in our military exhibits nor anything that is not true. For example, while working as an interpreter at Gettysburg National Military Park one summer, one of the people on my tours asked me to confirm for his children that slaves were indeed happy under slavery and that that was where they best belonged. I of course had to tell him that he was false. It was my duty as a representative of the Park to teach the correct history. I also feel that the experience of the many soldiers who died at Gettysburg – some fighting against the very evils of slavery itself – demanded that I rebut such a false narrative.

Therefore, as we continue in our jobs to interpret and present the history of our honored soldiers, it is our duty this Memorial Day and every day to do our best to both herald our military and teach their story in its most unbiased and factual light. Our young men and women put their lives on the line for us every day – and it is the least that we can do to teach their heroic legacy in a way most fitting to their honor.