SCHWEINFURT, Germany -- The garrison's public affairs office recently launched an online historical photography exhibit to archive the U.S. Army in Schweinfurt since 1945, just as closure looms and the Army 's presence here nears its end.
Faced with the challenge of preserving a lasting and tangible memory of the Army's storied history in Schweinfurt, the team of communication experts that created the U.S. Army's best command blog in 2012 is now delivering on its most ambitious project to date: Keeping Schweinfurt in the Army's collective memory for years to come.
Dubbed "Salute to Schweinfurt: 1945-2014," the project is a global, grass-roots effort to collect photographs chronicling the thousands of Soldiers, families and employees that worked at the U.S. Army installation in Schweinfurt.
But because the PAO shop has neither operated as a historical nor an archival office, it now needs the help of all those stationed in Schweinfurt. Photographs can be submitted online, via email or through the mail now through April 1, 2014. The exhibit is specifically in need of photographs dating before 1990.
The photo exhibit is ongoing, meaning that what you see is what you get. Where the photo exhibit will be staged after the garrison's closure still remains uncertain. But a plan is now in place to stage the exhibit on the USAG Ansbach website, the Army.mil site, or both. All photos -- including digital footage, hard copies and negatives --will be offered to the city's cultural office for preservation and possible display.
The dates 1945 to 2014 were chosen as part of the project's theme bearing in mind the different roles the Army has assumed in its near 70-year history here. While the U.S. bombing campaign of Schweinfurt began in 1943, it wasn't until 1945 that the Army first called Schweinfurt its home. And while some U.S. Army officials will continue to work in Schweinfurt up through 2015, the garrison will officially close by September 2014 to be turned over to German authorities.
The Schweinfurt PAO team spearheading the project is the result of a communications concept begun in 2010 that brought together, under one roof, all of the garrison's communications experts. Known as the Fusion Cell, teammates now include Nathan Van Schaik, Elvira Gladwell, Leslie Brians, Tina MacDonald and Sidney Harris.
For more, or to submit your photos, visit www.SaluteToSchweinfurt.com.
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