From the Mississippi to Normandy: The National WWII Museum of the USA is in New Orleans—because of a certain Mr. Higgins, “the man who won the war for us.”

The National WWII Museum today announced plans to return restored patrol-torpedo (PT) boat PT-305 to her home waters of Lake Pontchartrain, where she was originally tested by Higgins Industries more than 70 years ago. The Museum launched the first phase of the plan this morning: a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds necessary to move PT-305 to the water, test her for passenger use and, for the first time, offer civilians the chance to take a ride on a fully restored combat-veteran PT boat – the fastest US naval ship in World War II.

On Thursday, January 15, 2015, The National WWII Museum acknowledged a sad milestone in the death of the Museum’s legendary volunteer Thomas Blakey, a former U.S. Army paratrooper who fought in the European Theater. Blakey died at his home early Thursday morning.

Grace Thorpe, daughter of famed athlete Jim Thorpe, has a remarkable legacy as a veteran and champion of indigenous peoples. 

Explore Museum assets—from oral histories to online resources to exhibit content to essays by our historians—to learn more about the African American experience in World War II.