County of museum: Perry County
Location of museum: Veterans Memorial Parkway, Perryville
Phone: (573) 547-2035
Hours: 8am to 5pm weekdays; 10am to 2pm sat; and 11am to 3pm Sun
The Person:
Jim was drafted into the Army in 1966 and fought in the Tet Offensive. As he transported the severely wounded to medevac helicopters, he promised himself that, if he survived, he would find a way to honor his comrades who died. This promise ultimately led to the planning of Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial in Perryville. Jim and his family generously donated 47 acres of their 48-acre family farm and much of his savings. After much hard work, his vision of recreating the Vietnam Memorial in Perryville became a reality and the wall officially opened in May 2019. Jim has been an active Board Member since its opening." ~ James Eddleman
"Inductees to the Veterans’ Hall of Fame require a Missouri connection, honorable military service and must have contributed exceptionally to the community, the state and/or the nation."
~ Sun Times
"One of our founding members and largest donors, Jim Eddleman, fought valiantly in the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam conflict. He carried several severely wounded – to the medevac helicopter.
"Jim made a promise to himself that he would one day honor his comrades if he made it out alive." ~ MNVM
The Place:
"The MNVM site also features the James M. Eddleman Welcome Center and the James M. Eddleman Military Museum." ~ Republic Monitor, May 2019
"PERRYVILLE, Mo. (KFVS) - The Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial had a grand opening of their James M. Eddleman Military Museum on Saturday in Perryville.
"Visitors from around the area and beyond came through to see the new museum which feature various exhibits including the Jungles of Vietnam, Jim Eddleman's story, the American Timeline and more.
"The Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial’s Operations Coordinator DeAnna Klunder said it’s great to be able to tell the stories of Vietnam soldiers during their conflicts.
'"The education aspect is very important to us," Klunder said. "We want to make sure the people that do come are reached in some way, whether it they are a soldier and something that they see here sparks memories or gets them talking. Or, whether it's school kids or families that come, we want them to take away many things once they're here."
"Klunder said she even spoke with one of the first visitors who had one of the items they had displayed but didn't understand what it was about.
"They realized that they had one of the items at home but they didn't know the story behind it and so this way these items will just tell people to make connections and start having conversations," Klunder said.
"This is just phase one of the military museum. Crews are already working on building and collecting items for the second phase." ~ KFVS, By Mike Mohundro, August 1, 2020