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Portraits of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Honors Military Heritage

Posted by David Walker on 12/21 at 08:59 AM

A M4A3 Sherman tank used during World War II sits in a grove of trees at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg. The museum grounds include several pieces of military equipment from several different wars and a shrine honoring the 28th Division which was located at that site during the early 20th century.

I have long been enamored by the style of cinematography used for movies such as Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan. The hard, gritty look seems so fitting for the topic. The visual effect, to me at least, allows the viewer to gain a more pure real sense of the characters, actions and surroundings. I have been meaning to try and recreate this effect in my still photography on the same subject matter. Of course, this style is not suitable for everything I shoot but luckily, finding the right subject matter wasn’t too hard. Definitely not hard in Pennsylvania.

See, in my recent travels, I started noticing how much honor Pennsylvania has in its military heritage. We all know about Gettysburg, but PA’s military prestige is far broader. I grew up in Berwick, where the old forge was used to produce tanks during WWII. I now live in Danville, where we have a beautiful memorial park dedicated to the heroes of the area. Boalsburg is the home of the Pennsylvania Military Museum, while Pittsburgh has the Soldiers & Sailors National Military Museum Memorial. It doesn’t take long to come up with at least ten non-Gettysburg military memorials or museums within the state.

This post isn’t pro or anti-war. It is intended to be a realization of how much Pennsylvania has contributed to the well-being of our country over the years. This state has been a part of every war this country has ever fought in, from the Revolutionary War to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, I encourage everyone to step outside in the next few months and explore the rich history our fathers and forefathers. There’s plenty to go around!

And if the temperature’s just too cold for you, start planning your Spring trip to one of these sites now. You most likely don’t have to travel very far to get to one.