LCDR Kevin Fornal, Commanding Officer, Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Madison, will provide a brief presentation of the Navy Reserve presence in Central and Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Iowa.  Over 150 Navy Reservists, in this area, provide strategic depth and operational capability to the Active Duty Navy in support of operations both at home and abroad and in keeping with the Navy Reserve motto, "Ready Now.  Anytime, Anywhere."

Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation is generally understood as the moment African Americans became free, and Reconstruction as the ultimately unsuccessful effort to extend that victory by establishing equal citizenship. In More Than Freedom, award-winning historian Stephen Kantrowitz boldly redefines our understanding of this entire era by showing that the fight to abolish slavery was always part of a much broader campaign to establish full citizenship for African Americans and find a place to belong in a white republic. Bringing a bold new perspective to one of our nation's defining moments, More Than Freedom helps to explain the extent and the limits of the so-called freedom achieved in 1865 and the legacy that endures today.

The Normandy campaign has been celebrated as a great moment in the history of the Second World War.  However, the story of Normandy suffers from a fatal lopsidedness, at least as it has been told by American historians.  As historical narratives focus almost exclusively on the American G.I., they slight the French and leave half the story untold.  This talk revisits the Allied campaign as it was experienced by the Normans, who recalled their encounter with death in a grammar of terrible sounds, sights, smells, and tastes.  Every Norman remembers the moment- good or bad- when they saw their first American.  

Over one-hundred fifty years after it began, the Civil War still fascinates us - the vast armies marching to war, iconic leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee, and the drama of a nation divided. But the Civil War was also about individuals, the hundreds of thousands of ordinary men and boys who fought and died on either side and the families and friends left at home. This Wicked Rebellion: Wisconsin Civil War Soldiers Write Home tells this other side of the story. 

This presentation discusses the museum’s oral history program, its history, collection and ongoing efforts to collect and preserve veteran stories and experiences, recorded in their own voices. The panelists include Molly Graham, the museum’s oral historian, Rick Berry, a volunteer interviewer, and Adam Holton, a veteran who recorded his own history interview with the museum. Each panelist will share their different roles and perspectives on oral history and the interview process.

The Organized Reserve, later renamed the Army Reserve in 1952, has been a major contributor of soldiers to the United States Army in time of war or national emergency since its creation in 1908. For example, 240,000 Organized Reserve Corps/Army Reserve Corps soldiers were called up for the Korean War and 60,000 Army Reserve Soldiers were called up for the Berlin Crisis of 1961-1962.

With the tragic loss of life in April of 1912 with the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the world’s maritime community has since learned and applied the lessons taught during the subsequent 100 years contributing greatly to maritime safety and the preservation of life at sea. Hank Whipple discusses this story of maritime safety and how it has improved since that fateful day in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.  

The Vietnam War cast aside previously held assumptions that women should be kept safely behind the lines, as many women found themselves in the midst of combat—carrying sidearms for protection, receiving M-16 training, and wearing fatigues instead of the "green cord" uniform became standard practice. Dr. Stur will discuss the role of women in the war, and also sit down for a one-on-one discussion with Vietnam Veteran, Sister Linda McClenahan.

Presented in partnership with the University of Wisconsin Department of Integrated Liberal Studies.

The American Civil War was truly brother against brother, especially in the state of Missouri and the West. The physical evidence supports the historic records in the broadest sense, but adds considerable detail to the story by showing there is more to the stories than recorded in the recollections of participants or the official record of events.

The events and aftermath of September 11, 2001 had an immediate and significant impact on all aspects of life in the United States, including popular music. The tragedy provoked a variety of musical responses from across the stylistic spectrum as artists from the U.S. (and elsewhere) reacted to and reflected on the tragedy, its consequences, and the wars that followed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Join a distinguished panel of Madison-area scholars and performers as they discuss how 9/11 and subsequent overseas military actions affected the way that music was made, heard, and understood from 2001 to today.

This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a U.S. brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005.

A preview of Susan Brewer's discussion on her book "Why America Fights: Patriotism and War Propaganda from the Philippines to Iraq"

Vietnam Panel Discussion on Army Aviation in Vietnam at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison, Wisconsin on the Capitol Square.

For six decades, popular music has provided a unique perspective on the Vietnam War, its aftermath and its lasting legacies.

As much as popular music broadcasted over Armed Forces Radio, 45s played on the PX Jukebox, and the LPs and cassettes played in the field meant to those serving in Vietnam, the company's resident guitar player was equally important.

Drawing up letters that German immigrants, soldiers and civilians, wrote during the Civil War, Professor Walter Kamphoefner focuses on one important question: What was the attitude of the letter-writers toward their political parties, the cause of the Union and slavery?

The 2nd Wisconsin Regiment, Active Militia, left for Washington June 20, 1861. Outfitted in state made uniforms of militia grey, it was the first of the state's regiments forwarded from the new Camp Randall.This is the story of how "one thousand of the sturdiest and bravest of our Wisconsin boys" went off to the Civil War.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum annual Gala presents Jeff Shaara, a New York Times Best-Selling Author. Listen as Shaara shares his story of how he became a writer of the wars, and why he needs to write these books.

Join Dr. Meadows as he discusses the origins and development of Native Americans as code talkers in World War I and II, serving in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific Theaters, including recruitment, training, and combat service.

The latest version of the U.S. citizenship test, administered by the government to immigrants seeking naturalization, accepts three “right” answers to its question about what led to the Civil War: slavery, economic reasons, and states’ rights.

The latest version of the U.S. citizenship test, administered by the government to immigrants seeking naturalization, accepts three “right” answers to its question about what led to the Civil War.