Marcia Gates: Angel of Bataan in the Lost Battalion
The fall of the Philippines in 1942 left a deep scar on the lives of many Wisconsinites. In honor of International Nurses Day, we remember the nurses from our state who became prisoners of war following the 1942 fall of Bataan and capture of Corregidor. One especially tenacious servicemember who
Wisconsin and the Bombing of Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima became the first victim of an atomic attack. For the first time, nuclear weapons had been used in war. Wisconsin was there. Twelve days before, on July 25, the War Department instructed General Carl Spaatz, commander of Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, to use
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
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,
“These Numbers All Mean Something”
By Russell Horton, Reference & Outreach Archivist “I’ve got documents that I brought out of Korea… just pieces of paper with numbers on them. They are very old. These numbers all mean something.”
Poetry and Proverbs
By Russell Horton, Reference Archivist “If I die a prisoner of war, I would like to have this diary sent to my Father, A. Ingersoll, Waupun, Wis.” -Frank J. Ingersoll, Diary Entry, ca. September 1864 In the first two years of the Civil War, soldiers from either side of the
In Recognition of Aviation Month – The Story of Robert Balliet
By Jeff Javid, Wisconsin Veterans Museum Archives Assistant Robert Balliet of Appleton, Wisconsin served with the 776th Squadron, 464th Bomb Group, Fifteenth Air Force, United States Army Air Force in the European theatre during World War II. An employee of Wisconsin Bell Telephone Company, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in
Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day
“I am very happy about hering [sic] that you are back from the war, and others. Things have changed as you were gone. Things like football”. Matt Cain, 2nd grade, Elvehjem Elementary, February 22, 1973. On May 15, 1967, Madison native Major Donald L. Heiliger was hit by anti-aircraft fire
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