Johnson on Identifying as a Veteran
Even though she had been raised in a military family, Saprina Johnson’s choice to join the military was her own. Raised in Milwaukee, Johnson grew up around veterans in her own family.
Other Duties As Assigned: Finding WVM Beyond These Four Walls
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum name may give the impression of a fixed place appealing to a captive audience. The work the museum staff accomplishes, however, reaches beyond the confines of the physical museum space in Madison, Wisconsin to offices in our State Capitol Building, exhibits at presidential libraries, historic markers
IMLS Grants Preserve Delicate Photographs, Improve Public Access
Since the 2017 relocation of most object and archival collections from the museum building downtown Madison to the State Archives Preservation Facility (SAPF) on the eastside of the city, staff have been working to create greater public access to the collections. One of the most approachable ways to improve public
The Story of Millie and Clarence
Separated by war, their loving commitment endured after Clarence was taken prisoner by German troops. Twenty-one-year-old Clarence Beltmann of Milwaukee enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1942, one of the tens of thousands of young men caught in the swell of patriotism that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Raul Waters: My Duty. I Never Regretted That.
Photo of Raul Waters from his April 27, 2000, interview. Raul Waters was born in 1936 in Cuba before immigrating to the United States as a child in 1945. Initially in Tampa, Florida, Waters grew up in Detroit, Michigan, then moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for his surgical residency. When the
Desegregation in the Military
What is the Executive Order 9981? On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981: The Desegregation of the Armed Forces. This order banned segregation in the armed forces and ordered the full integration of all branches of service. The order also mandated equality of treatment and
Dunday Recalls Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT)
In March 2005, Blair Dunday enlisted under the Army's Delayed Entry Program (DEP), knowing that the Army would train her as an 89B (ammunition specialist). She delayed entry until July 2005 as she cared for her younger siblings and began her six-year enlistment. Dunday attended basic training at Fort Leonard
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
William L. Sims: A Lifetime of Service
William L. Sims calm smile and collected manner belies a man whose herculean efforts empowering veterans in Wisconsin are almost without equal. He continues shaping veterans organizations, mentoring fellow veterans, and implementing programs. There is a reason why Sims has a statue featured on the main floor of the War
A video interview with Brigadier General Robert Andrew Cocroft
Written by Oral Historian Luke D. Sprague Robert A. Cocroft graduated from North Division High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1965. While attending and playing football at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the United States Army drafted him on October 24, 1966. At Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Cocroft passed the qualification tests