Military family shares love of service, display of artifacts
Gordon Kennedy comes from a long line of veterans, and his passion for serving his country is being passed on to the generations after him through stories and his extensive collection of military memorabilia.
On Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, Kennedy displayed over 2,500 artifacts from various wars and branches of the United States military at American Legion Post 117 in Butler. The collection spans from guns to uniforms, medals, helmets, canteens, photographs and even flags.
Kennedy served in the U.S. Army from 1979 to 1988 as a mechanic. He said the main reason he displays his collection is for historical remembrance.
“Everything is about the veterans,” he said. “It’s history — we can’t let it go.”
He wore his Army uniform as he walked about the display of relics, which even included some gear he used when stationed in Germany.
“This is my foot locker,” he said, gesturing to a trunk filled with clothes and equipment. “This is how it was set up back then.”
He also showed off a bag of gear, which could hold three days worth of supplies, his pup tent, and an uneaten MRE box, which stands for “meals ready to eat.”
The box was from 1984, he said.
A few steps away, Kennedy lifted a photograph of his great-uncle Earl from the “Kennedy table,” which testified to the plethora of military servicemen and women in his family.
That table is the best part of the display, according to Kennedy’s daughter, Brittni Turner.
“I grew up hearing all the stories, seeing the pictures,” she said. “I would say, ‘I want to be able to do what my dad did.’”
Brittni has served in the Army for 14 years, following in her father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. She said Kennedy started the collection around five years ago, and she’s seen it effect countless veterans’ lives.
“To see the World War II vets come in … These are stories most civilians don’t hear. I love seeing that for the older vets,” she said.
Brittni’s husband, Jordan, has served in the Navy Reserves for eight years. He said he’s especially a fan of all the guns in the display, and is a similar kind of military buff that Kennedy is.
“I would like to keep the tradition going,” he said of displaying the collection. “I would never sell it.”
Across the hall, Brittni’s daughter, Julianna, 11, was playing with a helmet. She said she enjoys that part of the collection.
“I like how it looks,” she said.
When she grows up, Julianna said she wants to serve in either the Army or the Air Force.
“It’s a tradition, our whole family’s been in it,” she said.
Kennedy said his entire family is very patriotic, and he hopes to drum up those same feelings though the artifacts he presents.
“It’s to respect what the military has done,” he said.
