Nurses at Base Hospital 22

Roses of No Man’s Land – Base Hospital 22

At the Outbreak of War: Army Nursing Corps During World War I, the entire nation was mobilized for service. As in the Civil War and other previous conflicts, women answered the call by volunteering as nurses. This exhibit concerns itself with two people and one unit with Wisconsin ties. Helen Bulovsky

Continue reading
Thumbnail of Carolyn Morgan

Carolyn Morgan: In Her Own Words

Written by Luke D. Sprague, Oral Historian Carolyn Morgan was one of the first African American women to enlist in the 115th Fighter Wing, Wisconsin Air National Guard in 1980. Later in 1985, she decided to go full-time active duty and trained to become a cook. Her first duty station

Continue reading

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

Continue reading

Like Angels in the Sky: A Combat Medic’s Story

  As I stepped off the plane into the dark Kuwaiti desert a wave of hot moist air hit me. I was in the Middle East, all of those months of endless training had led me to this. For the next three weeks we sat in Kuwait and tried to

Continue reading

John Garrett: A Veteran in the Spotlight

Born on July 6, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois, John W. Garrett was in a fraternity studying Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Illinois when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Knowing they were at war, John decided to enlist in the spring of 1942.  As an engineer

Continue reading

Together in War by Emily Irwin

Born twenty minutes apart in Kiel, Wisconsin, identical twins Willard and Wilbur Diefenthaler share a story of duty and sacrifice during World War II.  They were drafted together on December 7, 1942 and after induction at Fort Sheridan, Wilbur joined the 919th Field Artillery and Willard went to the 101st

Continue reading

Jeff Carnes: Veteran in the Spotlight

As a military linguist, Jeff Carnes provided a critical link between American troops, foreign forces, and the local population, establishing trust in treacherous times. Fluent in Arabic, Carnes connected intimately with the local people during his tour in Iraq in 2003. He recalls a conversation with an Iraqi civilian named

Continue reading