Carlan Pulkkinen loves increasing his knowledge of military history, both past and present – and he’s only 14 years old.
“I think everyone should have an idea of history,” he said. “And not necessarily specifics like the stuff I would be interested in.
“Just have an idea about things people have gone through in history.”
The Grade 9 teen has been collecting war memorabilia for years and first put together a museum in his home when he was just 9 years old.
His passion grew from his family history. His dad has his grandfather’s military coat and a German helmet the soldier picked up sometime while he was fighting in the Second World War.
“The coat and that stuff was all in the closet upstairs and dad pulled it out every once in a while and it was cool,” Pulkkinen said.
“The steel helmet is heavy, especially when you’re little and you had to carry that around on your head.
“The wool coat too was really heavy.”
Pulkkinen also has a framed Union Jack flag and shrapnel that his great grandfather brought back, as well as food ration stamps from his grandmother and copies of First World War letters from his great grandfather on his mother’s side.
The teen’s first museum was set up in his bedroom for Remembrance Day in 2011.
“Initially the rest of the family was kind of ‘okay, whatever,’ but we’d have to do a moment of silence; he’d have music going,” said Pulkkinen’s mom Caroline Adams.
“He called the family in and it was to be taken very seriously … I think from there it has grown and I think like [he was] saying it’s important that people know this and know the history because we’re lucky to live where we live.
“I think it’s good he’s seeing that because not a lot of kids his age … are aware and appreciate that.”
Since his initial museum, Pulkkinen’s collection has grown as he visits various surplus stores, antique markets and shops online. Most recently he found a military surplus store in Brockville where he picked up more modern equipment.
“I was on vacation and I went downtown and I saw a store,” he said. “I stopped and got some stuff.”
He picked up a headset and goggles at that store. Also this year, the teen added a Canadian base uniform and a vest that’s similar to what Canadian soldiers wear now on combat missions.
Though last year’s museum was the biggest yet, taking over the family’s entire basement, this year the display will be scaled down.
“Probably just the general topics of the categories I have, so maybe a few memorabilia things and then the new stuff, like the uniform is there,” Pulkkinen said.
While entrance to the full museum each Remembrance Day is by invitation only, Pulkkinen is taking some items on the road this season.
Nov. 2 was take your child to work day for Grade 9 students and Adams took Pulkkinen to the rehabilitation hospital where she works to interact with some of the residents.
“I work with seniors in a hospital so I’m hoping actually he can bring a few little things … we have a lot of veterans so that would be my hope is that he can maybe share some of it with them,” Adams said.
Pulkkinen said he’s looking forward to talking to the veterans, but Adams wants him to mingle with other residents as well.
“Many of our patients weren’t actually in the RAF for example but … they’re from Europe and so they were experiencing all the experiences that were going on at the time,” Adams said.
“So we actually have some patients from eastern Europe … to hear their stories I think will be just as valuable.”
Pulkkinen is also considering renting out a booth at a local farmers’ market a couple days throughout the season to display select portions of his 50- to 100-piece collection and share the war knowledge he has gained throughout his life, much of which comes from books.
“I’ve been reading about this stuff for a long time so … you get to know it all … and then if you have an idea of something but you don’t really know, you go and look up more and the idea comes from reading books that you’ve read about this subject,” he said.
“It’s just interest. I was interested in it so I learned about it and now I know a lot.”
In addition to collecting memorabilia and reading, Pulkkinen also creates model battle scenes, which are included in the museum. He already has one of the Second World War.
His next scene will take place in the 2000s and will feature an army unit on patrol.
“I was thinking kind of a patrol in any of the countries where there’s been wars – Afghanistan, Iraq … kind of how they fight wars there which are different patrols,” he said.
“You can go anywhere in the city and the enemy’s going to be hiding anywhere. They’ll be living in a house one day, just as regular townspeople and then they come out the next day and they’re soldiers and they just go back to their houses.”
Pulkkinen’s war knowledge extends beyond his museum and battle scenes. His is also able to recall historical facts when he’s given a specific date in the past.
