Doug Curlee | Editor at Large

Nolen Hubbard’s room is like that of most other 16-year-olds — cluttered with the objects of his interests. But at the same time, it’s very different. It is essentially a museum of American military history. Nolen is vitally interested in the history of World War I and II, and his room shows it.

His grandfather served aboard an American cargo ship, the U.S.S. Bootes, in the Pacific in World War II, and his stories about that kindled the interest the Patrick Henry High junior shows today.

“He told me about it, and I just kept on learning about it more and more,” Nolan said.

Nolen is deep into the history. He collects, trades, and buys and sells artifacts of the war — artifacts that come from all sides in the conflicts, both in the Pacific and in Europe.

“There are many people who do the same things I do,” Nolen said. “We get together all the time, checking out new things we might have come up with to trade or sell and buy.”

His room looks very much like a museum, with artifacts from every military service you can think of with regard to our world wars. There are old gas masks. Bayonets and swords. Military insignia and decorations from Nazi Germany, Japan, America, Britain, Canada. Old maps from D-Day in 1945. It’s the prime indicator of a very serious student of military history.

One thing Nolen is particularly proud of is from the earlier conflict — a complete uniform from the American army in World War I — occupies a prime place in the bedroom.

Nolen thinks deeply about the history of some of the things in his collection — wondering about the stories behind them.

“I actually have a number of helmets that were worn by combat soldiers, and I look at them and wonder what stories the wearers of those helmets might have told me,” he said. “I think about the fact there were human heads inside those helmets — what they thought and what they went through.”

The fascination with military may well extend beyond the collections.

“I think I’d like to serve in the military, maybe as a pilot. Air Force or Navy, maybe,” Nolen said.

Nolen looks like a lot of military aviators I’ve known over the years. He’s somewhat on the short and stocky size — guaranteed to fit well in a cockpit.

His desire to serve draws the reaction you’d expect from his mom, Carla.

“Sure, you worry about what might happen,” she said. “It’s a tough world out there, but if that’s what he wants to do, I’ll support him like any mom would.”

No telling what the future might bring, but Nolen Hubbard seems well set up to handle it.

If you have questions about our World Wars, Nolen might be a good resource to tap.

If he doesn’t have the answers, I’ll bet he knows where to go to find them.

— Doug Curlee is Editor at Large. Reach him at [email protected].