Here Lies Lieutenant Wemple
By Gregory Krueger, Curator of Exhibits At the start of the Civil War, Union forces were under the command of Winfield Scott. Scott, an old Army veteran, outlined a plan to defeat the southern states based upon the premise of a naval blockade of southern ports. Hoping to suffocate Southern
Robert C. McCoy at the Battle of Buna
By Kevin Hampton, Curator of History Robert C. McCoy of Sparta, Wisconsin came from a long lineage of military service. Grandson of Captain Bruce E. McCoy and son of Major General Robert B. McCoy (both namesakes of Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy), Robert C. grew up with a strong sense of duty
Vietnam Veterans Day
On March 29, 1973, the last US combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, and the last prisoners of war held in North Vietnam returned to American soil. Since then, Vietnam Veterans Day has been established to welcome home Vietnam veterans, acknowledge their service and remember the men and women who died during the Vietnam
Military Appreciation Month by Ellen Brooks
“It takes about eight or ten people behind the lines to support one person in the front lines.” (Thomas Diener, Oral History Interview, 2005) Thomas Diener never saw combat while serving during World War II with the Army Air Corps, but he was one of the essential troops supporting those
A Veteran’s First Vehicle: Incorporating the Automobile into the Army during WWI
By Bobby Brito, Oral History Intern The Great War inaugurated the twentieth century, while the proliferation of the internet can be thought of as one of the events that bookended the twentieth century. Conventional conversations would not typically involve both events in relation with each other. However, through my work
In Celebration of Women’s History Month
by Ellen Brooks, Oral Historian On January 7, 2016 I had the pleasure of interviewing Julia Lannin (nee McCall) at her home in West Allis. Lannin served as a neurosurgical nurse in the Army during World War II. She was one of ten children born and raised in South Carolina.
Holiday Greetings from the Field by Mary Kate Kwasnik
A wise man once crooned that this is the most wonderful time of the year. As the winter holidays roll in, cheer seems to surround us. Coffee shops break out their festive red cups , the radio croons out classic holiday songs and the city is suddenly frosted in tiny,
“Walking Point with London” by Kylee Sekosy
Just as servicemen and women often befriend one another, war dogs and their handlers often share a deep bond from their experiences in combat. James Hooker, a Wisconsin veteran of the United States Marine Corps, spent three full tours of service in Vietnam. A young man “tired of school” and
In Recognition of Aviation Month – The Story of Robert Balliet
By Jeff Javid, Wisconsin Veterans Museum Archives Assistant Robert Balliet of Appleton, Wisconsin served with the 776th Squadron, 464th Bomb Group, Fifteenth Air Force, United States Army Air Force in the European theatre during World War II. An employee of Wisconsin Bell Telephone Company, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in
Listening to Learn: Oral Histories from Women in Service
By Ellen Brooks, Oral Historian 2018 marks seventy years since the passage of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act which enabled women to serve as regular members of every branch of the military. In 1978 the Women’s Army Corp was officially disbanded. In January 2013 the restriction on women serving