Donna Kerr spent her time on the home front during the Gulf War, collecting items for care packages to send to the service men and women fighting to defend the nation and honoring their service. Recently, she donated her collection of letters, newspaper clippings and photos gathered during that time to the Sallows Military Museum in Alliance.
“It all started when our son was an officer in the Navy,” said Kerr. “He was on the submarines and he called and said he would be out of touch for a while. He was out when the Persian Gulf War started. We presumed he was there, and we were pretty worried.”
Kerr explained that she began compiling a list of all of the people enlisted in the Armed Forces from Box Butte County who were deployed. She visited with the parents and spouses of those enlisted, and distributed yellow ribbons.
“It grew into care packages,” Kerr said. “I went to schools, businesses and talked and got donations. The money and the donations just kept pouring in. The businesses and the school kids were just in awe of all that. We began to put the packages together, and about that time, when the living room was full, I knew I needed help.”
Reaching out for help, Kerr asked Larry McCracken and other National Guard members to aid in their efforts. She noted that the project grew immensely. She said they gathered enough materials to create care packages not only for those service men and women from Box Butte County, but for others enlisted as well.
“Eventually, we found out our son was not over there,” said Kerr. “He was in Chile. When he came home and was debriefed, he knew noting about the Persian Gulf War.”
Kerr’s son was not told about the conflict while serving on the submarine, Kerr explained. She compiled an album filled with local newspaper clippings regarding the war, photos from the efforts on the home front, as well as of those enlisted, and letters received from those who were serving at that time. Kerr said her son learned more about the war by reviewing the album.
“I am very proud of this album,” Kerr said. “If you’ve lived in Alliance as long as we did, you’re going to recognize a lot of these people, and the young men. They were just boys, and they went to school and graduated with my boys. People will recognize a lot of these pictures and names going through and looking at it.”
Kerr said the collection’s most striking pieces are the letters that were received during that time.
“These are from the boys themselves,” said Kerr. “They are letters. There’s not any in here that were just notes. Some of them poured their hearts out in those letters. One of them that knew that I was visiting with his parents said, ‘And give my mom a hug.’ I’ll never forget that.”
Kerr hopes that people spend time reviewing the collection. Suzan Davis, Director at Sallows Military Museum noted that the collection shows a time in the country where people came together to recognize and honor those serving the country.
“I think during that time, there was more emphasis,” Davis said. “I think we care now, but it’s not like it was then. Because this is more of a patriotic area, I think this is important. This is a fabulous album. There are photos of families, newspaper photos, letters. It’s just a complete scenario of the times. I just think it’s really important that we keep these things. If we don’t, eventually, nobody’s going to remember. We need to remember. Thankfully we didn’t lose anybody, but it’s still important to recognize what they did for the country.”
Kerr hopes that people will also take time to recognize the struggles undergone by the families of those serving the country.
“They didn’t know if their boys were going to be killed or not,” said Kerr. “The fear that we had that our son was even close, your heart just goes out to those families who don’t know. In those days, they didn’t have chats and cell phones and all that. You didn’t know where your child was, and they were boys. So, when I pray, it’s for the families too, because it’s pretty gut wrenching to not know where your son is.”
Davis encourages people in the community, and those who are traveling through Alliance to stop by the museum to see this collection, as well as other pieces of history that they have to offer.
“It’s not just the Civil War, or World War II, or Desert Storm,” said Davis. “It’s a complete history. It covers from the Civil War. It shows the differences in World War I and World War II; the differences in the armor. We’ve got things that are fairly new. We’d like to think we’re a one size fits all. If you’re interested in World War II, come in. If you’re interested in the Civil War, come in. We might not have everything, but we can certainly help you.”
Kerr hopes that families will view the collection at the Sallows Military Museum so that the next generation can learn how these major events in history had a local impact.
“I just would like to see them experience these things,” Kerr said. “I want them to be aware of the sacrifices our soldiers made, and respect the vets. I think it makes a difference with the album to see how the community came together. That was amazing to see how the community came together. It wasn’t just families of military people. It wasn’t just the National Guard or the vets. The whole community got into it. We’re not experiencing those things now. It was all for the soldiers and the families who were experiencing it.
“I wish that we were back to where we were then,” said Kerr. “It’s not going to happen, but that’s why we have these things—these memories, these museums, anything that we can have to keep those feelings alive, and to be proud of our grandpas, our great grandpas, our great-great grandpas, from the early wars, all the way through. We need to emphasize how important the men and women who have fought for our country, what they went through and what our families went through, and we need to appreciate them.”
Kerr said it is meaningful to her to donate the album to the Sallows Military Museum because it has served as a touchstone in her life, helping her and her family to experience that time again and again.
“It’s hard to part with it because it means so much,” Kerr said. “I feel like now, after praying and coming to conclusion I needed to part with it, that it needs to be looked at, read and enjoyed by the parents, the families and the community that gave everything they had to go into this. It’s bittersweet.”