'Write from the Front'

"The exhibit panels include highlights from the collection and information on how service members and their families can contribute to the program." As Gaffney's National Guard Unit prepares for a mission in Afghanistan, they know they aren't the only soldiers from the Palmetto State overseas right now.

In recognition of all the South Carolinians who have been deployed, the S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum has prepared a traveling exhibit to tour the state with e-mails and photographs that have been sent home by service members stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.

And the show is opening at the Cherokee County Public Library today.

"At the start of the Iraq war in 2003, the museum launched Write from the Front, an effort to preserve e-mails and digital photos from South Carolina service members overseas," said Jai Shaiman, public information specialist for the museum. "The program recognizes that electronic communication has begun to replace traditional paper letters as the preferred way for many service members to write home."

The exhibit isn't limited to its traveling show that lasts until November. There's also a Web site.

"We are still actively seeking South Carolina service members and families who would like to ensure that their war correspondence and other material are saved for the next generation," said museum director Allen Roberson. "We don't want these real-world stories to be lost with the next hard drive crash."

Selected e-mails and photos, voluntarily submitted by soldiers, aviators and sailors who are South Carolina natives or were trained at one of the state's many military bases, can be seen at www.wftf.sc.gov.

"The traveling exhibit is free to local libraries, museums, and other institutions," Shaiman said. "The exhibit panels include highlights from the collection and information on how service members and their families can contribute to the program. The exhibit also comes equipped with a desktop computer kiosk that allows visitors to browse the online Write from the Front collection without requiring an Internet connection."

Organizations interested in hosting the Write from the Front exhibit should contact Sarah Wooton, the curator of collections and exhibitions, at (803) 737-8094 or by e-mail at swooton@crr.sc.gov.

For questions or more information about the exhibit and Web site, contact Shaiman at (803) 737-8287, or jcassidy@crr.sc.gov.