2017 November PASO Magazine

ROUND TOWN
Every time I ask someone the question,“What
do you like best about Paso
and the area?”one of the top three answers
is,“There is so much to do here!”
So much so, that many times we get
double and triple booked for the same
day and end up saying to ourselves-
,“I’ll get to that one when I catch my
breath.” Then along comes a nudge
for something or other. We go and afterward
we say, “Yikes, why did I wait
so long?” Here’s your October nudge:
The Military Museum at Camp Roberts.
It’s changed so much in the last couple
years. Ya gotta go!
is celebrating its seventy-sixth
anniversary this year. We know the
story but if you somehow don’t, it’s time to
learn it. Camp Roberts is massively important
to Paso and San Miguel for many reasons
including the boost it gives our local economy,
which is often overlooked.
Half-million troops took their basic training
there for WW2 and 200,000 for the
Korean War. Thousands of men and women
from America and our allies still train there
each year under the direction of the California
National Guard managed by Col. Nicole
Balliet and Lt. Col Kevin Bender.
It was in the early 80s when the Camp
Museum was created. Today, it is a WOW
FACTOR and a true destination for the 3,000
or so who visit each year.
BY CHUCK DESMOND
Gary McMaster is the defacto boss, curator,
fundraiser and chairman of the four-person
Board and four advisers. He’s been there for 15
years, leading the charge, so to speak.
Today, the Museum has two locations that
are a short distance apart. The Museum’s focus
is on military displays beginning with WW1
which was the time of Corporal Roberts. It
is he whom the entire camp is named after.
From that period right up to today’s military is
represented in the museum.
“Represented” isn’t probably the right word
because the displays are so life-like that one
feels as if he’s in the midst of the action,
be-it WW2, Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan,
Iraq or in the camp’s post office, auditorium
or the laundry!
Grates • Ash Buckets • Shovels
Screens • Tool Sets • Log Racks
Repair Parts
LOUISANA GRILL PELLET BBQ’S
Pellets in Flavors at Blakes - Apple, Maple, Alder & Oak
65
HARDWARE • HOBBIES
HELP IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
20 PASO Magazine, November 2017