Our Mission
The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.
Event Recaps
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"World War II: Witnesses and Memory Liberators and Liberated"
Join us for an engaging roundtable discussion regarding the experiences of those who did the liberating and those who were liberated in Europe in 1945, and how institutions and scholars preserve and teach this history.
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Eugene Bullard: Hero of Two World Wars
Join us for an exciting conversation between two of the country's leading WWII historians about a truly remarkable man who fought the Germans in both world wars—but for the French rather than his own country, the United States.
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International Holocaust Remembrance Day: "Survival Against All Odds" with Steven Hess
In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, The National WWII Museum presented a virtual webinar with Mr. Steven Hess.
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Scout Week Kickoff with the Pontchartrain Conservancy
The National WWII Museum is partnering with the Pontchartrain Conservancy for Scout Week 2021. Tune in for a live broadcast of the educator-led session, Ecosystems of the Pontchartrain Basin.
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Lunchbox Lecture: "Triple Nickles—The 555th Parachute Infantry in World War II"
During this Lunchbox Lecture, join retired Army Sergeant Major Chris Lewis, Director of Education and Volunteer Services at the National Infantry Museum, for a talk about the 555th Parachute Infantry, more famously known as “the Triple Nickles.”
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"The French-speaking Cajuns of WWII--Forging an Identity," a conversation with Jason Theriot, PhD and Jason Dawsey, PhD
During World War II, young bilingual Cajuns from south Louisiana proved to be invaluable assets to the military overseas as French language interpreters and translators. Join us for a virtual presentation on their wartime experience and how it forged a renewed sense of pride in their Cajun culture and heritage.
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Lunchbox Lecture: "Fort Benning and Columbus, Georgia: A Community Transformed" by Rebecca Bush
Join Rebecca Bush, Curator of History at The Columbus Museum, as she discusses how Columbus became known as “Mother-in-Law of the Army” and how World War II made both Columbus and Fort Benning integral components of US military training for generations.
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Dr. Seuss and WWII: Analyzing Political Cartoons
Learn about Dr. Seuss's role in the war through his political cartoons and the hidden messages in some of his most famous children's books.
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Reel History Filmmaker Talks: Path to the Past
Join Nathan Huegen, Director of Educational Travel, and filmmaker Lou Baczewski in a discussion of the documentary film by Baczewski entitled Path to the Past.
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"The German Military, the Third Reich, and World War II:" A Conversation with Michael Geyer, PhD
Join us for this fascinating exchange about the career and work of Dr. Michael Geyer, one of the foremost authorities on the German military, the Third Reich, and World War II.
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"Pearl Harbor, Dorie Miller, and WWII Memory:" A Webinar Conversation with Robert K. Chester, PhD
Join us virtually for an enlightening program about one of the first American heroes of World War II, Doris “Dorie” Miller.
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Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration
Join us as we remember Pearl Harbor. The surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, forever known as a "day of infamy," plunged the United States into World War II. Each year, The National WWII Museum commemorates the lives lost on December 7, 1941.
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From Christmas Lights to Bomb Fuses
Learn more about this important breakthrough and some of the science behind it.
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Electing Roosevelt: 1940 and 1944
Join The National WWII Museum as we look back on these two historic elections and Roosevelt’s legacy as President of the United States.
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Honor and Duty: The Chinese American WWII Veterans Panel Discussion
Following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, nearly 20% of the Chinese American population signed up and served honorably in every branch of the US Armed Services and all four theaters of combat.
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Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation
Join us for a webinar about a book that has received great press and even better reviews, Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation.
Oral History Profiles
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Mark Gordon Hazard, 79th Infantry Division
Mark Hazard discusses a patrol he led behind German lines just before the assault on Hagenau with the objective of capturing a German soldier to interrogate for information about enemy strength in the area.
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Benjamin Carson, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion
Benjamin Carson talks about volunteering for the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion and the brutally realistic training they received in San Diego to prepare for combat in the Pacific.
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Jack Glass, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
Jack Glass describes his experiences aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August 1942.
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Frank Buschmeier, 100th Bomb Group
Frank Buschmeier discusses his capture and subsequent imprisonment after his B-17 was shot down during a mission to Merseberg, Germany in July 1944.
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James “Horse Collar” Smith, 1st Marine Raider Battalion
James “Horse Collar” Smith describes his experiences during the Battle of Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal in September 1942.
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Walter Jacobs, 77th Infantry Division
Walter Jacobs talks about encountering a wounded Japanese soldier during the fighting on Ie Shima and how he believes that his sparing of an enemy soldier’s life resulted in him surviving the fighting there and later on Okinawa.
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Florence Reynolds, WASP
Florence Reynolds describes a negative encounter she had with an Army Air Forces maintenance officer when she questioned the condition of an aircraft she was ordered to fly.
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William S. Jones, 7th Infantry Division, Attu
William S. Jones describes his experiences during the fight to recapture Attu in the Aleutian Islands in May 1943.
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Mike “Iron Mike” Mervosh, 4th Marine Division
Mike Mervosh describes his experience with the flag raising on Iwo Jima.
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Herbert Helibrun, 301st Bomb Group
Herbert Heilbrun describes the Christmas 1944 mission he took part in to bomb the oil refineries at Brux, Czechoslovakia and how well defended the area was.
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Stanley Wolczyk, 7th Infantry Division, Attu
Stanley Wolczyk discusses his experiences on Attu in May 1943 and being wounded late in the fight, a wound which ended his Army service.
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Charles McGee, 332nd Fighter Group
Charles McGee discusses flying bomber escort for 15th Air Force heavy bombardment groups and downing a German Focke Wulf Fw 190 during one of those missions.
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George Peto, 1st Marine Division
George Peto describes an uphill assault he took part in on Okinawa that ended up being his proudest day in the Marine Corps, despite the tremendous casualties his company suffered.
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Maynard David, 504th Bomb Group
Maynard David talks about a particularly harrowing mission he and his crew flew to Tokyo, Japan in May 1945.
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Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, Navigator on the Enola Gay
Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, navigator on the Enola Gay, describes arriving at Wendover Field, Utah and figuring out that he would be taking part in a mission to drop an atomic bomb.
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Joseph Sasser, 50th Engineers, Attu
Joseph Sasser discusses his experiences on Engineer Hill during the final hours of the Battle of Attu in May 1943.
"To The Best of My Ability"
Season 2: Episode 8 – The Temper of the Courts
In February 1946, a California Court heard opening arguments challenging the practice of segregating students of Mexican descent into “remedial schools for Mexicans.” Sylvia Mendez and her family spent the next year of their lives entangled in a court battle. Though they would ultimately prevail and the Court deemed the schools unconstitutional, thus ending legal segregation in California, Sylvia was not permitted to attend the school near her home designated for white children until 1948. This landmark case became an international cause célèbre, and would later be used to justify the “separate is unequal” ruling of 1954’s Brown v. Board of Education.
Latest "Service on Celluloid" Podcasts
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Stalag 17
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Minisode To Flags of Our Fathers
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Flags of Our Fathers
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Minisode To Guadalcanal Diary
Trending Topics
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European Theater