When Vernon J. Baker died on July 13, 2010, America lost another of the great heroes of World War II. “Vernon was an extraordinary soldier and an extraordinary American,” said Dr. Gordon “Nick” Mueller, President and CEO of The National World War II Museum in New Orleans. “Over the years, he was an integral part of helping our Museum fulfill its mission to bring the history and values of World War II to all generations. It has been a privilege to know him and work with him.”

No newsflash in modern history has ever been greeted with such overwhelming celebration as the announcement that Japan had surrendered, effectively ending World War II, a war that Americans thought would go on indefinitely. Of all the iconic images from that day, the one that still continues to embody the spirit of the nation was of one very famous kiss between a nurse and a sailor.

The National World War II Museum is officially going to the
dogs (and horses, mules and birds!) with the newest exhibit Loyal Forces: The Animals of World
War II. On display July 22 – October 17, 2010, the exhibit focuses on the animals employed and
encountered throughout World War II, from the Home Front to the Pacific. Loyal Forces will explore
another side of the war, and demonstrate how lessons learned then continue to help us today in the
utilization of animals and their unique abilities.

Beginning with Memorial Day on May 31, a series of major events, ceremonies, special exhibits and lectures will be taking place at The National World War II Museum in New Orleans. The commemorative period will culminate with a weekend of special events June 5-6 to honor the 66th anniversary of the D-Day invasion at Normandy and to celebrate the Museum’s 10th anniversary.

The National World War II Museum will celebrate Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 15, 2007, with free admission for all veterans. The Museum, in partnership with the Mayor’s Military Advisory Committee, will also host a full day of performances and programs that are open to the public, plus displays and presentations from all service branches.

May, 8, 1945. Few announcements in modern history have ever been greeted with such joy as the announcement that Germany had surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II in Europe. The iconic images of happy throngs holding up the newspapers of the day found their way into countless scrapbooks and frames. Though Japan remained defiant, the joyous parades and street parties symbolized the relief that the war in Europe had ended.

On Thursday, May 6, 2010, at 7:00 pm, The National World War II Museum will host author Elizabeth Bettina and Holocaust survivor Ursula Korn-Selig who will speak about the Holocaust in Italy during World War II.

Just a few months after Adolf Hitler came to power in Nazi Germany and a full six years before World War II, German university students carried out an “Action Against the Un-German Spirit” targeting authors ranging from Helen Keller and Ernest Hemingway to Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud. Their orchestrated book burnings across Germany would come to underscore German-Jewish writer Heinrich Heine’s 19th century warning, “where one burns books, one soon burns people.

Be the reason technology, family or frugality, people are flocking to The National World War II Museum in the resurgent Crescent City. Since the start of 2010, more than 100,000 visitors have trooped through the Museum’s six-acre campus to learn about the battles and motives behind the 20th-century’s most momentous event. In the process they are breaking all attendance records.