History Using Material Culture

A day hardly goes by that we do not see the warm welcome of one of our United States service men or women returning home to their loving family.  War is war regardless of what era you grew up in, and coming home a changed person is a fact of war.  No one but another service person knows the times of extreme discomfort you have faced, the moments of fear you endured and pushed through, or the feelings that go with being that far from your loved one for extended periods of time when you cannot just “change your mind” and go home.  However, the stories our service people bring home from war help those of us at home understand how they stay so committed to keeping us safe. 

During WWII Sergeant Oda A. Smathers from Ashville, NC served our country as a Radio Operator, and he took his job seriously.  Much of his tour of duty was spent on the Teggie Ann.  A flying fortress with great range and load capability, the Teggie Ann was in high demand.  Sgt. Smathers went where she went until one fateful mission when he was wounded by a burst of flak that exploded beside the plane. 

Before

Decorated for many valiant contributions to WWII while serving on the Teggie Ann, not all his adventures overseas were combat driven.  One such adventure involved a 3-day break, a month’s pay, and a date for the evening that turned into the young man staying behind while Teggie Ann when out on mission and left him saying, “The way I feel about that just ain’t printable”.  This is just one story Sgt. Smathers and his bomber jacket have to tell.  This amazing piece of history has recently been conserved by East Carolina University. The jacket had some mold damage, corrosion, and the decals were starting to flake off. The wonderful conservators at the University were able to fix the damage and bring new life to the jacket that has seen so much.

After