View from the cockpit, Vietnam. WVM.1947.I522

Looking for Light

Looking for Light - in this blog, which is an extension of the article in the Winter 2023 issue of The Bugle, we’re sharing more background on the images featured in the magazine. The variations of light captured in these images vary from heavenly cloud formations to battle silhouettes. They

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Headshot photo of James K. Overman

Oneida Warrior James K. Overman on racism and rescuing pilots

James K. Overman of Delafield, Wisconsin, is the son of a World War I veteran and raised with a love for aviation. After receiving a draft notice in 1951, a year after graduating high school, Overman opted to enlist in the Air Force to ensure he got to fly planes

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Close up photo of Nao Tou Lor

Memories of War with Nao Tou Lor

Nao Tou Lor was born in 1953 in the province of Xieng Khouang, Laos. His father worked with the French, and Nao Tou Lor remembers visiting the French fort near his home at an early age. Circa 1962, the Vietnamese arrested his father and took him. Nao Tou Lor and

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Vietnam War image

50th Anniversary of End of Vietnam War Marked at Wisconsin Veterans Museum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Madison, Wis. (March 24, 2023) - On March 29, 1973, U.S. ground forces withdrew from South Vietnam. The withdrawal officially ended years of war that forever marked a generation. To mark the 50th anniversary of the official end of the Vietnam War, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum will

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Ho-Chunk Nation Warrior Owen C. Mike

Ho-Chunk Warrior Owen C. Mike

This is the story of Ho-Chunk warrior, Owen C. Mike, known as Jąąpwakącąk in the Hoocąk language. A leader of the Buffalo Clan, Ho-Chunk Nation, Mike served in the Vietnam War and received the Silver Star Medal and Bronze Star Medal with valor device for his actions while under fire

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GUEST BLOG BY RICK BERRY, VIETNAM VETERAN AND WVM VOLUNTEER

“…AND WHEN CHARLIE HAS THE GROUND UNIT SURROUNDED, WE USE WHAT WE CALL THE HIGH-OVERHEAD APPROACH.” My Mom included the cartoon on the right in a scrapbook she complied regarding my military service. Portions of the scrapbook are exhibited on a touch screen display in the “Souvenirs of Service” exhibit

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Coulee Region Veteran Gary Castona Remembers

This blog post features extracts from an oral history interview with a Wisconsin veteran Gary Castona from La Farge, Wisconsin, in the Coulee region. He relates his experiences of Vietnam combat service and later Cold War Germany. Like many veterans, Castona’s military service affected the rest of his life. His

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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

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OH2030.Lor Access Image2

Honoring Hmong Veterans of Wisconsin

Written by Luke D. Sprague, Oral Historian Hmong veterans of Wisconsin sacrificed their lives, homes, and livelihoods due to their alliance with the United States during the Secret War in Laos from 1961 to 1975. These Hmong, armed, trained, and organized by the United States and its allies, fought in

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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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