What’s It All For? a Reflection on Empathy and Our National Discourse
Written by Kevin Hampton, Curator of History This time of year, with patriotic holidays like Memorial Day, the anniversary of D-Day, Flag Day, Juneteenth, and the 4th of July, there is always a natural focus on the American historical identity. This interest usually comes in the form of a passive
Part IV: Okinawa: Victory
The remnants of Ushijima’s army, now reduced to 30,000 men, only 11,000 of whom were trained infantrymen, desperately dug in along a range of hills six miles south of Shuri. This position, which Ushijima ordered to be held to the death, centered on Kunishi Ridge and two hills named
A Lesson in Resiliency From the Bataan Death March
At the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. A Philippine insurrection against the United States began almost immediately and ended in 1902 with the United States controlling the territory until the Japanese invasion in December of 1941. Choosing deployment to the
Gather Stories of Your Family’s Veterans with Research Resources from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Genealogy, or learning about one’s ancestors, has been growing in popularity lately with the addition of so many resources to the internet. It has never been easier to search census records, ship passenger lists, or burial records from the comfort of your own home. And with so many people staying
Part III: Okinawa: Decision at Shuri
One hundred feet below Shuri Castle, in the tunnel that functioned as Ushijima’s headquarters, debate raged over whether to launch an offensive or stay on defense. Ushijima decided to attack with his reserve units in an effort to push back the Americans past Kakazu Ridge. In addition to the
Virtual Drink and Draw
Francis Brewster Elmer Homburg: B-24 Liberator Roberta Wells Norbert S. Szymczak Donald Kaiser Martin Gutekunst Roberta Wells Collection- VE Day Parade, Hawaii, 1945
Victory in Europe, 1945
By the last day of April 1945, it was clear that Allied victory over Nazi Germany was not far off. Russian armies were in Berlin, while American, British, and French armies slashed their way across Germany toward Austria, Denmark, and Czechoslovakia. This situation was the culmination of simultaneous attacks from
Month of the Military Child: Augustus Patchin and Family
By Russell Horton, Reference & Outreach Archivist The Wisconsin Veterans Museum focuses on preserving the stories of men and women who serve in the US military. But very often, in the letters, photographs, and objects from those veterans, we can learn much of the families and children who remained home,
Sergeant Beauford T. Anderson
Born July 6, 1922, in Eagle, Wisconsin, Beauford T. Anderson had turned 19 years old by the time the U.S. entered the Second World War. He enlisted in the United States Army on October 8, 1942 and entered service with the newly activated 96th Infantry Division—one of the “draftee divisions”