Here Lies Lieutenant Wemple

By Gregory Krueger, Curator of Exhibits At the start of the Civil War, Union forces were under the command of Winfield Scott. Scott, an old Army veteran, outlined a plan to defeat the southern states based upon the premise of a naval blockade of southern ports. Hoping to suffocate Southern

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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On March 29, 1973, the last US combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, and the last prisoners of war held in North Vietnam returned to American soil.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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A Veteran’s First Vehicle: Incorporating the Automobile into the Army during WWI

By Bobby Brito, Oral History Intern The Great War inaugurated the twentieth century, while the proliferation of the internet can be thought of as one of the events that bookended the twentieth century. Conventional conversations would not typically involve both events in relation with each other. However, through my work

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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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“Walking Point with London” by Kylee Sekosy

Just as servicemen and women often befriend one another, war dogs and their handlers often share a deep bond from their experiences in combat. James Hooker, a Wisconsin veteran of the United States Marine Corps, spent three full tours of service in Vietnam. A young man “tired of school” and

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Helen Bulovsky-The Wild Nightmare

by Kevin Hampton, Curator of History   “…the thing that seems to do the boys most good is to see and hear American girls talk.” Helen Bulovsky always wanted to care for others. When war came, she was determined to do her part. Despite a chronic heart condition that all

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The Life and Letters of World War I Aerial Observer Lt. Mortimer M. Lawrence – January 1918

No. 1 Det. Aerial Observers A.E.F.   Dear Folks:- This is not going to be much of a letter for the simple reason that there is nothing to write.  Of course there is lots I’d like to say but it is no use for it will be all cut out.

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The Life and Letters of World War I Aerial Observer Lt. Mortimer M. Lawrence – December 1917

Christmas Day Dec. 25, 1917   Dear Mother:- Received your night letter this morning.  Thank you for all your good wishes.  I hope you received my message O.K. We had our Christmas dinner at three o’clock this afternoon and it sure was a dandy.  I enclose my place card &

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The Life and Letters of World War I Aerial Observer Lt. Mortimer M. Lawrence – November 1917

Tuesday Nov. 27, 1917   Dear Mother:- Yesterday’s letter was intended to take the place of the one I didn’t have a chance to write Sunday. Jack Bainbridge’s brother, wife and family are mighty fine people and were certainly nice to me.  The brother is about forty-one or so and

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USS Cole Bombing: The Road to 9/11

On the morning of October 12, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked in Yemen’s Aden harbor by two suicide bombers piloting a small boat loaded with an estimated 700 pounds of explosives. The subsequent blast tore a 40-by-60-foot gash in the side of the guided-missile destroyer, claimed the lives of

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