Join Linda Hope, daughter of Bob and Dolores Hope, and Assistant Director for Curatorial Services Kim Guise as they introduce the Museum’s newest special exhibit, So Ready for Laughter: The Legacy of Bob Hope.

Mon Cher Camarade

Lafayette filmmaker Pat Mire joins us to introduce his documentary, Mon Cher Camarade, which acknowledges the unique and important contributions of French-speaking Cajun soldiers in World War II, an often overlooked yet important aspect of the war effort.

After a Japanese torpedo attack, a heavy cruiser survives to fight again -- with the help of a temporary bow fashioned from a tropical tree trunk. 

Watch a replay of the special exhibit's July 27 opening presentation. 

While military maneuvers train and test a force’s capabilities, they can also seem like an “alternate history” at times. Consider these fascinating front pages from September 1941, reprinted here courtesy of The Shreveport Times, describing the US Army’s big Louisiana Maneuvers. 

WDSU-TV previews new special exhibit about Louisiana during World War II. 

"By the war’s conclusion, nearly 16 million men and a half million women would provide military service for their country. Where would the opportunities to create better lives for themselves come from for these men and women who had seen, experienced, and sacrificed so much during the war years?" 

Victory is Served: Bringing it Home 1940s Louisiana Style

Fighting for the Right to Fight in Louisiana

Americans like to think of World War II as a “great crusade,” but if it was, the country certainly didn’t seem all that fervent about rushing into it. Think of it: by the usual reckoning, World War II lasted six years, from the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, to Japan’s surrender on board the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. US participation spanned less than four years of that total, a little over half the war. Of seven campaigning seasons, the United States missed the first three and was active only in the final four.