Before he took office and faced the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II, FDR faced the challenge of Polio. This disease was sometimes deadly and always feared in the US during the first half of the twentieth century. Part of FDR's legacy is the Polio vaccine, released in 1955.

The men of the Underwater Demolition Teams in the Pacific were born out of the necessity of the moment in World War II, and blasted their way from one island to another to help achieve American victory over Japan.

A sampling of some of the Museum's most poignant programs featuring WWII veterans, civilians, and Holocaust survivors.

April 17 was a fateful day for Capt. Harold Romm. On April 17, 1943 he was shot down and became a German POW. Two years later, on the same day, he became a free man, liberated from Stalag XIII-D by American troops.

For years, Jeff Taddeo kept a grocery bag filled with his grandfather’s WWII letters on a shelf in his home. With help from The National WWII Museum, he is preserving and sharing this treasured family history, and hopes others can benefit from his experience.
 

Newspaper correspondent Ernie Pyle became a national folk hero by reporting on the average soldier in World War II.

Gravois tells his story of how he landed on the beaches of Tarawa to furious Japanese fire, and how survival was key.

In 1945, The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Station Chief Allen Dulles in Switzerland negotiated the early surrender of German forces in Italy and Austria days before the final surrender of Germany, saving many lives.

The Ruhr Pocket campaign of April 1945 ended Germany's hopes—and established the US Army.

In this clip, Currey describes the actions for which he would be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Garden to Glass celebrates WWII history and local New Orleans food and drink.

As Marines behind the lines ran supplies up to the grunts in the front, one survivor of the night action and a veteran of Peleliu was heard to tell his foxhole buddy about the upcoming fight, “This right here…well…this is gonna be a bitch.” He had no idea how accurate his prophecy would be.