William Pena discusses his experiences while fighting the Germans in the Colmar Pocket in January 1945 and how he was wounded by a mine and evacuated to the United States.

The 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18, has roots in WWII history.

Despite their small, fluffy nature and their propensity to do as they please, even cats had a place in the military.

In the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history, 27 Marines and sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor for action on Iwo Jima. No other campaign surpassed that number.

Cities, birds, and denizens of the deep. Three items which on the surface have nothing in common, yet they were all conventions for naming US warships in the WWII era.

World War II transformed the United States from a midlevel global power to the leader of the “free world.” With this rapid rise in power and influence, the United States had to take on new responsibilities, signaling the beginning of the "American era."

Halloween today still brings with it traditions that were familiar during the 1940s. However the home front festivities during the war years also held some key differences as well. 

Mark Hazard discusses a patrol he led behind German lines just before the assault on Hagenau with the objective of capturing a German soldier to interrogate for information about enemy strength in the area.

The end of World War II brought unexpected challenges for American servicemembers in both Europe and the Pacific. Fighting forces turned into forces of occupation, working to maintain a fragile peace while living amongst former enemies.

Absentee ballots gave American citizens in uniform a voice in their nation’s government during World War II.

During World War II, a new program gave young men who refused to wear a uniform other ways to serve their country.

B-17 pilot John Noack describes the bravery of his top turret gunner and flight engineer, Kenneth Fox, who even after being severely wounded during the mission to Schweinfurt on October 14, 1943, refused to abandon his post in the plane’s top turret.