[CPProt.net] National D-Day Museum, looted and vandalized in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, reopened Saturday

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

D-Day Museum Reopens in New Orleans
National D-Day Museum Opens in New Orleans for First Time Since Katrina
By JOHN PORRETTO
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS - The National D-Day Museum, looted and vandalized in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, reopened Saturday with a smaller staff but
with its artifacts and exhibits intact. 

About 300 people were on hand for the opening and more filed in through the
day to see the nation's first museum dedicated to World War II, with
interactive video and audio exhibits that complement the artifacts, war
planes and military vehicles on display.

Unlike much of the city, the museum in downtown New Orleans was not flooded.
However, it suffered about $200,000 to $300,000 in damage, primarily related
to theft and vandalism at the gift store and coffee shop, both of which were
open Saturday, said president and chief executive Nick Mueller.

The museum, founded by the late historian and author Stephen Ambrose, will
now operate with full-time staff of 26, rather than its 62-member
pre-Katrina payroll. The museum's volunteer contingent has declined from 250
to 60.

And it will be open five days a week, instead of seven, closing on Sunday
and Monday.

Still, Mueller said the museum will play an important inspirational role in
New Orleans' comeback.

"Even with a skeleton crew, this museum needs to be in the vanguard of the
tourist recovery of the city of New Orleans," Mueller said.

The $33 million museum, built with government grants and private donations,
was opened on June 6, 2000, the 56th anniversary of the Allied invasion of
Normandy. Since then, it has been visited by more than 1.5 million visitors,
most of them from outside Louisiana.


On the Net:

National D-Day Museum: http://www.ddaymuseum.org