The US Merchant Marine provided crucial, yet often overlooked, logistical support for the Allied war effort.

From our 21st-century point of view, it is hard to imagine World War II without the United States as a major participant. Before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, however, Americans were seriously divided over what the role of the United States in the war should be, or if it should even have a role at all. Even as the war consumed large portions of Europe and Asia in the late 1930s and early 1940s, there was no clear consensus on how the United States should respond.

Girl Scouts’ history of volunteering during times of crisis has been prevalent since the very beginning. 

The USS Benevolence was one of three hospital ships in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. The ship served as a haven and first stop in rehabilitation for thousands of Allied POWs.

The National WWII Museum strives to preserve the legacy and lessons of World War II through the stories of those who experienced the war,...