The Swamp is in Nebraska, and Corrine Giggee is excited.
"I love the comedy mixed with the serious issues," the North Bend native said of her favorite TV show, M*A*S*H.
"Hawkeye was my favorite character. He had passion for everything he did, from his dating life to his compassion for his patients."
Giggee looks forward to seeing items from Hawkeye's TV home, The Swamp, as well as his bathrobe at the exhibit from the television show "M*A*S*H" at the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland. On loan from the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History Behring Center until Oct. 26, the exhibit displays memorabilia easily recognizable with the show.
This exhibit is timely with the 50th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
"The public response has been very positive," said Bev Carlson, directing of marketing and outreach for the museum. "The people are coming not only to see the TV show items, but also the display we put together to go with it of medical equipment from the period; a jeep, an ambulance and other items."
M*A*S*H was a television show that first aired on Sept. 17, 1972, on CBS. It now can be seen in syndication throughout the world. The show aired for 11 seasons, during which time it received 99 Emmy nominations and 14 Emmys for excellence in television.
Set in Korea during the war that lasted from June 1950 until a truce was signed July 27, 1953, the show chronicled everyday life in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit. The show's objects were rooted in the 1950s, but many of the scripts addressed national concerns of the 1970s and 80s.
Perspectives about the Vietnam War, President Nixon and Watergate, the rise of feminism, and a turn from political protest and idealism to interest in individual fulfillment were presented in a dark comedy format on M*A*S*H. The final episode of M*A*S*H "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" remains what TV Guide magazine wrote as "one of the best television shows ever."
Among the items on display at the Strategic Air & Space Museum will be:
*The signpost showing how far from home the Americans in Korea were. The signpost was centrally located and was featured throughout the series.
*The maroon bathrobe that was Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce's uniform of defiance to authority, especially military. Actor Alan Alda wore the bathrobe on the first episode of M*A*S*H and throughout the series.
*Corporal Max Klinger was known for the dresses he wore in the first part of the series to try to prove he was crazy and get a psychiatric discharge from the Army. The dress on display in the M*A*S*H exhibit was first worn by Ginger Rogers and then refitted with side panels for Klinger.
*Later in the series Klinger got away from his dresses and wore a "Mudhens" baseball jersey. Both Klinger and actor Jamie Farr who played him were from Toledo, Ohio, home of the minor league baseball team, the Toledo Mudhens.
Carlson said she is not a M*A*S*H fan, but appreciates the significance of the actual M*A*S*H units.
"This was an experiment done during the Korean War," Carlson explained. "The doctors went to the patients on the front, rather than waiting for the patients far away from the actual battle. The success of the frontline operating rooms and immediate emergency care led to the development of what is now the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) units we have now for rapid response to a crisis."
Giggee has been a M*A*S*H fan since elementary school and is now attending graduate school to become a physician assistant.
"Initially, I think the medical aspect interested me, but the characters really drew me in," she said. "Besides the great social impact this show had, it is amazing to see what went into a show that lasted 11 years. Each of the props were things that you saw so often, it is like getting to see a great historical artifact after having studied it for years."
SAC Facts
The Strategic Air & Space Museum is located just south of Ashland at 28210 West Park Highway.
Bev Carlson said the easiest way to the museum is to get on I-80 and take exit 426.
It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost of admission to the museum and all special exhibits is $7 for adults and $3 for children five to 12.
The Strategic Air and Space Museum is committed to the preservation of America's aviation and military history with a wide range of permanent displays. Another special display at the museum is a photographic exhibit: "Our Earth as Art: A Landsat Perspective." This exhibit includes colorful photographs from satellites showing the scientific value as well as earth's beauty.
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