While many Americans are familiar with the idea of “code talkers,” knowledge about the fuller lives, stories, and experiences of American Indian Code Talkers is incredibly limited. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, in partnership with Native communities, wants to help change that.

A member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Ernest Childers became the first American Indian to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II.

Even while held as POWs by the Germans in the POW camp Stalag Luft IV, American servicemen exercised their civic duty and made their voices heard, at least to each other, when they held a straw vote for the 1944 presidential election.

The construction of a democratic order in Japan during the American occupation was one of the more significant outcomes of the conflict.

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.