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  • Mess Night at the Museum

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    “Survivor's Story: George F. Banda's Heroic Service with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam” Thursday, November 13, 2025 5:30 PM – 8 PM George F. Banda was drafted in January 1969 and served as a combat medic with the 101st Airborne Division, 2nd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, E Company, Recon Platoon. Deployed to Vietnam in December 1969, he endured some of the conflict's most harrowing moments. On May 6, 1970, Banda became the sole survivor of his unit following the devastating bombing of Firebase Henderson. At Mess Night, he will share his powerful story of service, sacrifice, and resilience. 5:30-6:15 - Happy Hour 6:15-7:00 - Dinner 7:00-8:00 - Presentation $50 MEMBERS | $58 NON-MEMBERS  This event is sold out! Each MESS NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM features a guest speaker, topic, dinner, drinks, and time to socialize before and after the talk. Registration will be required before the event. Join us as we transform this historic naval tradition into our own. Event suitable for all ages. Event sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of our 2025 Mess Night Series Sponsor Generac Power Systems.

  • Film Screening – The 32nd Infantry Division’s Nightmare: The Battle of Buna

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    Join the waitlist for tickets. The event is sold out, but we can notify you if a ticket becomes available. Follow the registration link below to be added to the list.  Please join the Wisconsin Veterans Museum for the film screening of the 32nd Infantry Division's Nightmare: The Battle of Buna. The U.S. Army's return to the offensive in the Pacific Theater occurred at the Battle of Buna. On that battlefield in New Guinea from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943, the untested 32nd Infantry Division fought alongside elements of the Australian Army's 7th Division against well-prepared elements of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. A nightmare unfolded for the histories retrace the experiences of the soldiers of 32 ID from its Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard origins, to Pearl Harbor, to training for war, and then to the battlefield. This is an in-person event and tickets are free but limited. Registration is required. Tickets can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screening-the-32nd-infantry-divisions-nightmare-the-battle-of-buna-tickets-1858240119219

  • Book Talk with Joshua Shores

    Virtual

    Author and veteran Joshua Shores discusses his work, "Counting On Death: A Marine Infantryman’s Journey from the Frontlines of Combat to the Fight for Peace."

    Free

  • Movie Discussion Night – Rough Riders (1997)

    Online WI, United States
    Virtual Event

    Grab some popcorn and a seat in your favorite chair and join us for a virtual discussion of the selected movie with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum staff. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services (we will not be watching the movie the night of the program). On March 27,  we’ll all meet via Zoom for a discussion led by museum staff. This event is free and open to the public. You must register in advance here. Age Appropriate: This film may not be suitable for all ages as it depicts battle sequences, mild language, and alcohol and tobacco depictions.

  • WVM Movie Tours: Behind the Lens of Rough Riders (1997)

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    Do you like historical films? Are you curious about how accurately Hollywood portrays historical events? Join the Wisconsin Veterans Museum as we delve into these topics through in-person tours that focus on a specific film and period of history (with a Wisconsin angle, of course). These tours are free to the public, but registration is required. Register here. Age Appropriate: These tours are appropriate for all ages

  • Mess Night at the Museum

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    Mess Night with Patti Robinson Please join us for our quarterly Mess Night dinner series with guest speaker Patti Robinson, who will be discussing her research into her father’s service as a Marine in the Pacific during WWII. She has not only explored her father’s service but has also retraced his steps and stood on the battlefields he fought on during the war. This story of redemption and reckoning is one you won’t want to miss. Please register in advance here: $50 MEMBERS | $58 NON-MEMBERS  Event sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of our 2025 Mess Night Series Sponsor Generac Power Systems.

  • Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot: Stories Before, Between and Beyond the Combat Zone

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    Shared by veterans of six decades of American military conflict and peacetime service, Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot is an afternoon of stories that center on the kinds of surprising, touching, and absurdly funny moments that happen in the spaces before, between and beyond the combat zone and the complicated and triumphant journeys back from war to healing and civilian life. Come join Feast of Crispian for an afternoon of one-of-a-kind stories told by several generations of American Service Veterans - a kind of community campfire story circle, with a little taste of Shakespeare thrown in for good measure. Meet in the Ed Center at the museum.  This event is free but registration is required. Register here.

  • Book Club Tour – Savage Little Wars of Peace by Max Boot

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    Join the staff in the museum galleries for our new book club. This month's selection is Savage Little Wars of Peace by Max Boot. This monthly book club meets in the galleries to discuss a selected work with a military history focus. At each meeting you will traverse the galleries with a staff member as your guide who will explain the context of the readings and show you how “Wisconsin Was There.” This event is free and open to the public. Please register in advance here.

  • Movie Discussion Night – Heneral Luna (2015)

    Online WI, United States
    Virtual Event

    Grab some popcorn and a seat in your favorite chair and join us for a virtual discussion of the selected movie with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum staff. Your mission is to watch the movie, which is available from most libraries or on streaming services (we will not be watching the movie the night of the program). On May 29,  we’ll all meet via Zoom for a discussion led by museum staff. This event is free and open to the public. You must register in advance here. **ATTENTION: please use the following password to register for the event: Privat3 Due to an influx of spam registrations, we have had to lock down the event with a password. Age Appropriate: This film may not be suitable for all ages as it depicts battle sequences, mild language, and alcohol and tobacco depictions. NOTE: This film has Spanish subtitles.

  • WVM Movie Tours – Behind the Lens: Heneral Luna (2015)

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    Do you like historical films? Are you curious about how accurately Hollywood portrays historical events? Join the Wisconsin Veterans Museum as we delve into these topics through in-person tours that focus on "Heneral Luna" and period of history (with a Wisconsin angle, of course). These tours are free to the public, but registration is required. Please register here.

  • Mess Night at the Museum

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    Mess Night with Robert ‘Bob’ Smith Please join us for our quarterly Mess Night dinner series featuring Robert “Bob” Smith as he explores the vital role of the U.S. Navy Seabees in supporting scientific discovery in Antarctica through Operation Deep Freeze. Discover how Naval Construction Battalion Unit 201 overcame extreme weather and logistical challenges to build and sustain critical infrastructure at the South Pole, advancing research and global knowledge. Please register in advance here $50 MEMBERS | $58 NON-MEMBERS  Event sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation through the generous support of our 2026 Mess Night Series Sponsor Generac Power Systems.

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    Smithsonian Lecture in Waupaca – The National Native American Veterans Memorial: Honoring the Military Service of Native Americans

    Waupaca High School 2325 King Road, Waupaca, United States

    Join us for a lecture: The National Native American Veterans Memorial: Honoring the Military Service of Native Americans with Rachelle B. Pablo (Diné), Museum Specialist with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. She will discuss the making of the National Native American Veterans Memorial that opened on November 11, 2020, in Washington D.C. and the enduring legacy of Indigenous military service. This tribute to Native heroes at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian recognizes for the first time on a national scale the distinguished service of Native Americans in every branch of the US military. Simple and powerful, timeless and inclusive, the memorial creates an interactive yet intimate space for gathering, remembrance, reflection, and healing. It welcomes and honors Native American veterans and their families, and educates the public about their extraordinary contributions. The lecture at Waupaca High School was developed as a companion to the Making History, Making Change Lecture Series, organized by Smithsonian Affiliations. This lecture is free and open to the public.  

  • Smithsonian Lecture in Madison – The National Native American Veterans Memorial: Honoring the Military Service of Native Americans

    Featured
    Fluno Center -- Howard Auditorium 601 University Ave, Madison, WI, United States

    The Wisconsin Veterans Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is pleased to present a special lecture: The National Native American Veterans Memorial: Honoring the Military Service of Native Americans by Rachelle B. Pablo (Diné), Museum Specialist with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. She will discuss the making of the National Native American Veterans Memorial that opened on November 11, 2020, in Washington D.C. and the enduring legacy of Indigenous military service. Please register in advance HERE.  This tribute to Native heroes at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian recognizes for the first time on a national scale the distinguished service of Native Americans in every branch of the US military. Simple and powerful, timeless and inclusive, the memorial creates an interactive yet intimate space for gathering, remembrance, reflection, and healing. It welcomes and honors Native American veterans and their families, and educates the public about their extraordinary contributions. This lecture at the Fluno Center - Howard Auditorium on the UW-Madison Campus is free and part of the Making History, Making Change Lecture Series. It is organized by Smithsonian Affiliations as part of the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: 250. It is supported in part by the Dreier Family, Johanna and Ken Kim Family, Vaishali Shah Chadha and Family, and Michael Vu & Meridel Bulle-Vu.

  • Tabletop Gaming at WVM

    Wisconsin Veterans Museum 30 W. Mifflin St, Madison, WI, United States

    Try historical military tabletop games and learn about the history behind the game play. We will be playing "Wunderwaffen" a multi-player strategy game set at the end of World War II with the Allies racing toward Berlin, while Germany tries to resist and develop new "wonder weapons." We will have at least two tables of four people each, but can expand based on the number of reservations. Suitable for ages 12+. Please register here to reserve a spot. Space is limited.