Old Abe

Old Abe Wisconsin’s War Eagle

Old Abe, an icon in Wisconsin Civil War history was an American bald eagle who served with the Eighth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He participated in over 30 battles, narrowly avoiding wounds on several occasions. During the war, he became a rallying point to Union troops and an anathema to

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Sergeant Major Corcoran appears on the right. Major General Craig C. Crenshaw, commanding general of Marine Corps Logistics Command, stands in between Maj. Christopher M. Siekman, commanding officer of Recruiting Station Baton Rouge, and Sgt. Maj. Shawn Corcoran, sergeant major of Recruiting Station Baton Rouge, as they pose for a photo during the Bayou Classic Welcome Reception Nov. 25, 2016, at the West Bunker Club in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. 3015184. Public domain.

Iraq by Way of Stoughton: A Marine’s story

Shawn C. Corcoran grew up in Stuttgart, Germany, the child of a United States military family. Corcoran returned to the United States to finish his high school education in Stoughton, Wisconsin. In 1990, following his graduation, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in Madison, Wisconsin. Initially posted to Camp Pendleton,

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Wisconsin Was There: Desert Storm Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Persian Gulf War, Part II

After over a month of the air campaign, with a final ultimatum for Iraqi forces to evacuate Kuwait expired, the ground campaign began. In Saudi Arabia, along the border with Iraq and Kuwait, the coalition forces rolled forward along the over 330 mile front.  Helen Gurkow of the 13th Evac Hospital, remembered the opening phase of

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Wisconsin Was There: Desert Storm Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Persian Gulf War, Part I

 On 24 February 1991, after 40 consecutive days of around-the-clock aerial campaign, the ground offensive phase of Operation Desert Storm (code named Operation Desert Sabre) began at 4am Saudi time.    Over the last six months this final, and perhaps inevitable, assault loomed on the horizon for the nearly one million

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TALKING SPIRITS CEMETERY TOURS

CEMETERY TOURS GO 360 THIS YEAR Because we want to keep everyone safe and healthy during the pandemic, we will not be presenting in-person cemetery tours this year. While we agree that this change is a disappointment, the museum staff will present Talking Spirits Cemetery Tours: Myths and Realities through

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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

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Part I: Okinawa: Genesis of a Battle

In 1945, 75 years ago, World War II in the Pacific ended with the Battle of Okinawa and the atomic bombing of Japan. These important events, in which Wisconsin service members did their full duty, still impact the world today.   From April until August 2020, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum staff

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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

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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,

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Lincoln’s Railcar Plate

By: Andrea Hoffman (Collections Manager) In November of 1864, the United States Military Railroad’s car shop in Alexandria, Virginia began construction of a new official railcar for President Abraham Lincoln. When it was completed a few months later, the new car, dubbed the “United States,” was considered the most opulent private

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