The creation of a G.I. Army in 1941 required planning, hard work, and a little good luck. And it helped America win the war.

A look at Private First Class Ed Sabo's wartime experiences, plus a curious case of a possibly misidentified helmet. 

This Veterans Day, The National WWII Museum debuts its latest immersive exhibit that unfolds on a stationary train modeled after the iconic Pullman sleeper cars of the 1940s, allowing guests to experience the sights, sounds and emotions of going off to war. The Train Car Experience is housed in the Museum’s Louisiana Memorial Pavilion and re-creates the wartime departures of America’s service men and women, who embarked on journeys that would change their lives.

In 1942 the 24th General Hospital was created by doctors from Tulane University and nurses from New Orleans. Serving in the Mediterranean theater, they were known as the “Tulane Unit.”

Jennifer Putnam is a former Research Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy at the National World War II Museum.