HI, I AM JIM WILHELM.
THIS BUILDING ONCE HOUSED A FIRE
DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY HALL FOR
THE TOWN OF PONTIAC.
BUT AFTER THEY MOVED TO A NEW
FACILITY, THEY USED THE EXTRA
SPACE TO BRING IN SOME NEW
ATTRACTIONS.
BUT THE ROUTE 66 HALL OF FAME IS
JUST ONE OF THE MUSEUMS LOCATED
IN THIS COMPLEX.
ON THE THIRD FLOOR IS A VERY
IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF THE
LIVINGSTON COUNTY WAR MUSEUM.
>>RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 189 UNIFORMS
ON MANNEQUINS.
IT IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE.
OUR PURPOSE IS NOT TO SHOW WAR
MEMORABILIA AS MUCH AS IT IS TO
HONOR THE INDIVIDUALS WHOSE
UNIFORMS PEOPLE WILL SEE UP
HERE.
WE PERSONALIZE EVERY UNIFORM
WITH WHO WORE IT, WHAT THEY DID.
WE TELL THE PEOPLE THAT WE PUT
THE CORRECT DECORATIONS ON THEM
THAT THAT INDIVIDUAL EARNED.
>>19 YEARS AGO, MY FATHER WENT
TO NORMANDY TO RETURN A FLAG
THAT HE CAPTURED ON D-DAY.
HE WAS OVERWHELMED BY THE
RECEPTION THAT HE GOT.
HE WORE HIS UNIFORM PROUDLY FOR
ALL 12 DAYS IN FRANCE.
AND HE VOWED WHEN HE CAME HOME
TO START OUR MUSEUM.
HE TRIED FOR TEN YEARS WITH NO
SUCCESS, AND WE FINALLY OPENED
IN 2004.
MY FATHER'S UNIFORM THAT IS HERE
ALSO A TABLE DISPLAYING THE MEN
WHO LANDED ON D-DAY ON JUNE6,
1944.
WE ALSO HAVE A 15 MINUTE VIDEO
ON DISPLAY FROM MY DAD TALKING
ABOUT LANDING ON D-DAY.
>> DOWN THE BLUFF WE WENT.
AS WE WENT FOR OUR TOUR CAME IN
THE FIELD, AND ABOUT FIVE MORE
BOYS WERE HIT WITH ARTILLERY.
>>WE HAVE ONE UNIFORM OVER THERE
OF AN INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS KILLED
FIGHTING A TANK WITH A RIFLE.
HE HAS A DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
CROSS, AND HE IS IN
RECONSIDERATION FOR THE MEDAL OF
HONOR. WE HAVE GOT ANOTHER
MARINE UNIFORM, MARINE WHO WAS
SHOT FIVE TIMES ON TARAWA.
AND WE HAVE HIS DOG TAG WITH A
BULLET HOLE RIGHT THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF IT.
THERE ARE A LOT OF STORIES WE
HAVE OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS IN
THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH AND
SURVIVED THAT.
IT IS COMPLETELY STAFFED BY
VETERANS OF THE DIFFERENT WARS.
>> I HAD CARRIED MY UNIFORM WITH
ME AS LONG AS I TRAVELED AROUND.
I WAS JUST ABOUT READY TO THROW
IT AWAY.
MY WIFE SAID "WELL THERE IS A
PLACE THERE WHERE YOU CAN TAKE
YOUR UNIFORM AND YOU WOULDN'T BE
THROWING IT AWAY."
SO I BROUGHT IT UP HERE, AND
THEY SAID, WHY, SURE THEY COULD
TAKE CARE OF THAT. THAT'S IT.
THAT'S IT.
THAT'S WHAT MAKES THE REST OF
THE GUYS VERY ANGRY, THE FACT
THAT I FIT IN MINE AND SOME HAVE
A BIT OF A PROBLEM WITH THAT,
BUT I CAN FIT INTO THAT UNIFORM.
THAT MEANS I AM IN GOOD SHAPE.
>>I KNEW THAT IF WE JUST STAYED
AT HOME, SOMEDAY IT WOULD GET
THROWN IN A BOX AND THROWN AWAY
SOMEDAY.
SO WE DECIDED THIS IS A WAY OF
REMEMBERING ME.
>>WE WANT THE PEOPLE WHO VISIT
THE MUSEUM AND WALK AWAY WITH A
RESPECT FOR WHAT INDIVIDUALS
HAVE DONE TO GIVE US THE FREEDOM
THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WEAPONS.
WE HAVE A LOT OF THE EQUIPMENT
THAT THE INDIVIDUALS CARRIED,
AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO
TALK WITH THE VETERANS WHO USED
THAT EQUIPMENT.
>> WE HAVE GOT ONE MAN HE HAD
TWO TOURS IN IRAQ AND TWO IN
AFGHANISTAN.
AND HE COMES IN QUITE A BIT,
TALKS TO STUDENTS, AND SOMETIMES
REPRESENTS THE MUSEUM AT
MEMORIAL DAY AND VETERAN'S DAY
FUNCTIONS.
>>I TAKE VISITORS HERE, I LIKE
TO SAY I HAVE TWO HEROES HERE.
I TAKE THEM TO MY FATHER, AND I
SAY THIS IS MY OLD HERO.
THEN I TAKE THEM OVER TO THE
CORNER, AND I SHOW THEM THE HERO
OF MY BUDDY WHO WAS LOST IN
VIETNAM AT AGE 20 WITH ONLY
THREE WEEKS TO GO BEFORE COMING
HOME.
HE TAUGHT ME TO LIVE ON THE
JUNGLE FLOOR.
I TELL ABOUT HIS EARLY LIFE, THE
FOUR MONTHS THAT I KNEW HIM,
ABOUT HIS 11 BROTHERS AND
SISTERS BACK IN WISCONSIN.
MY DAD WOULD SAY WHAT HE WANTED
VISITORS TO SAY WHEN THEY CAME
IN.
WHEN WE HAD FOUR AND FIVE
UNIFORMS HERE ON HANGERS, AND
THE MUSEUM WAS EMPTY, HE SAID "I
WANT PEOPLE TO COME IN AND SAY
'WOW' WHEN THEY SEE IT."
AND THAT'S WHAT WE HEAR NOW.
WHEN I HEAR THAT, I SAY "THAT'S
FOR YOU, DAD."
>>> WELCOME BACK TO PONTIAC AND
THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED MURAL IN
TOWN.
IT IS ON THE BACK OF THE
BUILDING WHERE WE BEGAN OUR
TOUR.
THE MUSEUM WHICH ARCHIVES THE
PEOPLE AND THE PLACES IN
ILLINOIS WHICH MAKE ROUTE 66 THE
ROAD TO TRAVEL.
THEIR'S ARE A FEW OF THE STORIES
THAT CAN BE FOUND HERE.
ABOVE, MUSEUM PRESERVES THE
HISTORY OF SACRIFICES BY
INDIVIDUALS IN NAME OF FREEDOM
AND COUNTRY.
AND THERE IS ALSO LIFE IN THE
40S, REMINDING VISITORS OF LIFE
ON THE HOMEFRONT.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE
PLACES WE VISIT IN PONTIAC,
CONTACT THE PONTIAC TOURISM
OFFICE AT (815)844-5847 OR GO TO
THEIR WEB SITE AT
WWW.VISITPONTIAC.ORG.