A recent donation to the National D-Day Memorial brings to mind an often-neglected aspect of WWII history on the American home front: the emphasis on encouraging support for the war among school children. A few months after Pearl Harbor launched America into WWII, a federal...
A recent donation to the collection of the National D-Day Memorial brings to mind one of the forgotten success stories of the American war effort: the little-remembered Cadet Nurse Corps. World War II was in full swing for the US in the spring of 1943. In...
[caption id="attachment_27138" align="alignleft" width="225"] The Harvey Flag from Omaha Beach.[/caption] Every artifact on display in the Fleda A. Ring Education Quonset Hut at the National D-Day Memorial tells a story. One of the newest additions to the exhibits there tells a particularly poignant one—a story of...
[caption id="attachment_26772" align="alignleft" width="225"] Piercy Vest, front.[/caption] We’ll never know who the soldier was, but this we can tell: he didn’t like his vest much. At some point after D-Day, a few miles inland from the beach, he got rid of the thing. Perhaps a supply...
At the National D-Day Memorial, saying goodbye is a sad reality. Our day happens to coincide with the gradual passing of the Greatest Generation. The WWII heroes who once were daily visitors to our site are only occasionally able to visit these days, especially after a...
The majority of American soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coastguardsmen in WWII identified as Christian, mainly Protestant or Catholic with Orthodox, Mormon or other varieties as well—in other words, people for whom December 25 was a particularly important day. For them, Christmas was a sacred...
Uncovering surprising coincidences are sometimes the most rewarding parts of preserving D-Day history. By definition you never see them coming; if you miss them, you never know they were there. But when everything aligns and unexpected connections are made; when odd circumstances reveal surprising treasures...
The soldier’s papers and souvenirs were housed in a small wooden box when the man’s son brought it to the National D-Day Memorial. There were many odds and ends: his dog tags, a few patches and ribbons, some foreign currency he kept as souvenirs of...
It’s called an IDPF—Individual Deceased Personnel File. Unlike a service record, which preserves what a member of the American military did while living, the IDPF records what happens once a person has died in uniform. It records basic biographical information and some of the facts...
During World War II, not a single African-American serviceman was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor for valor. Despite the service of some one million African Americans, including many credited with incredible feats of heroism, the highest award was denied to...