01 apr. 2007

Two Romanian exchange officers from the Command and General Staff College had to come to America to meet their prince. On Wednesday, they capitalized on a visit from Romanian Prince Radu to the National World War I Museum and toured the facility together.

"We didn’t have the opportunity to meet the prince at home, so we did that here," said Romanian Army Capt. Cristian-Daniel Dan. "That proves once again, the world is so small." While standing atop a glass bridge at the museum’s entrance, Romanians and Americans learned about the history of the museum.

Below them were 9,000 poppies, each plant symbol-izing 1,000 World War I deaths. Romania, known to most Americans as the home of Vlad the Impaler, the 15th century ruler upon which Dracula was based, is a southern European country the size of New York and Pennsylvania combined. The rugged Transylvanian Alps are located in almost the center of the country, while the southeastern part of the country is a window to the Black Sea.

Prince Radu’s visit to Missouri is part of a larger, multi-year effort to tour the United States and promote eco-nomic and cultural ties between the two countries. "Romania considers the United States a key partner, a strategic partner," Prince Radu said. "Local communities will be aware of the importance of this part of the world, which is called southeast Europe." Romania, demonstrating its commitment to the United States, has a battalion of paratroopers supporting operations in southern Iraq.

According to the Prince, the United States and Romania share idealistic visions for the world that are rooted in history.

"During the communist times, the United States helped Romanian democracy," Prince Radu said. He said Romania looks to the United States as a key partner in the stability and security of the region.

The prince’s visit to the museum was symbolic. More than 80 years ago, Queen Marie, the grandmother of Princess Margarita, attended the 1926 dedication of the Liberty War Memorial.

Prince Radu was escorted through the museum by the museum director and president. Both pointed out the single distinctive Romanian addition to the museum, a World War I helmet. According to a bar-graph of casualties at the museum, Romania suffered 170,000 casualties from the war.

Prince Radu thought nearly 10 percent of the Romanian population perished during the four years of war. Throughout the tour, Prince Radu asked questions, with a serious expression on his face. He used words like "amazing" and "priceless" to describe the museum’s exhibits.

Prince Radu praised the American respect for history.