The Texas Aggies Go To War exhibit opened in December 2014, on the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, in the Bastogne War Museum in Belgium.
Steve Aldrich said after a year and a half, the exhibit closed at the end of June.
“We came away with a sense that there is an appreciation that the people of Belgium, particularly those in Bastogne, have for Americans overall and particularly for the relationships that they began to understand between the five Aggies that are portrayed in the exhibit,” said Aldrich.
The five Aggies, Turney W. Leonard ’42, James F. Hollingsworth ’40, Joe E. Routt ’37, William M. Pena ’42, and James E. Rudder ’32, all played roles in the Battle of the Bulge.
The exhibit, which Aldrich said was the idea of their Belgium trade partners, tells a story of “dedication, sacrifice, reconciliation, healing, and deep ties, both personal and economic, between people an ocean apart.”
Aldrich said a small, temporary exhibit will open in the Hall of Honor in Texas A&M’s Memorial Student Center from November 11 – December 12, 2016.
“That will coincide with Princess Astrid’s [of Belgium] economic development mission that will come here, which will include a very large number of Belgium companies,” said Aldrich.
The full exhibit is expected to open in the Stark Galleries in August 2017, and among others, Aldrich hopes it will find a permanent location in the future.
“We think that there is a need to continue to tell this story, I encourage people to go out and learn more about it,” said Aldrich.
Click here to learn more about the exhibit and its story.
Click below to hear Steve Aldrich visiting with WTAW’s Chelsea Reber.