He was a career Marine and veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima. His heroics in World War II will never be forgotten.

While staff at The National WWII Museum are preparing for a very busy 2015, they are also looking back on a year of several major milestones for the New Orleans institution. The Museum ended 2014 with more than 515,000 visitors, a 14 percent increase from the previous year. On December 13, the newest pavilion on the growing campus, Campaigns of Courage: European and Pacific Theaters, opened to the public with the first phase of exhibits—"Road to Berlin: European Theater Galleries".

The Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust (CBCVB), an advisory group to members of Congress on issues related to African Americans and veterans affairs, has awarded its 2015 Veterans Braintrust Award to The National WWII Museum in recognition of work on behalf of African American veterans in World War II. Award selection is based on the support of the president and first lady and stems from the Museum’s development of a special exhibit, <em>Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II</em>.

More than 80 years after the Battle of Tassafaronga, a team of scientists and explorers aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus found and imaged the wrecked bow of the New Orleans at the bottom of Iron Bottom Sound.

John “Paddy” Hemingway, along with his fellow RAF pilots who have been revered as “the Few,” played a critical role in defending the United Kingdom against Nazi Germany during the summer of 1940.