A Hobby of Mine, by Brian Trainer

From MemoryArchive

Who: Bryan Trainor
What: WWII
When: WWII
Where: Europe

A Hobby of Mine

I always liked history and what it was all about. I mainly focused of the 1940’s and the World War II European theater because so many people gave their lives to stop the Nazi war machine and what they were doing to the rest of the world. Then 2 years ago I found out that a distant relative of mine fought in World War II and gave his life for a good cause. His name was Joseph. He enlisted in they army and trained to become a ranger, some of the first men onto Omaha Beach on June 6 1944 which was D-Day. When I found this out I started researching of D-Day and whenever I got the opportunity I would read a book on D-Day or write a paper at school. That’s how I started to get more and more informative about World War II and more specifically D-Day. But it all changed when I watched the movie Saving Private Ryan.

The movie showed great detail and really told the story about how WWII was really like and how they fought back then. After watching the movie several times I started hearing about auctions and shows with WWII memorabilia in them so I started to attend them and became instantly hooked. I wouldn’t be a guy that you would think would attend these shows because there is a certain stereotype of people who attend and me playing varsity basketball and baseball it kind of has made me wonder because my friends wouldn’t see me going to these shows but there is something about the history and remembrance that keeps me coming back. I first bought a WWII helmet that was battle damaged and then other necessities that the soldiers in WWII used, and I become determined to collect enough memorabilia to have a whole set of uniform and field gear items. The thrill of the chase, as you can call it, looking all around for a certain item that catches your eye was the best part.

These experiences have helped me become more informed about WWII and the lifestyles people lived in the 1940’s and whenever I get the chance to go to an exhibition hall with WWII collectors and sellers I always take advantage of it. This hobby of mine will last all my life I believe because of the great sacrifices the men gave for their country.