This week we have a special guest blogger, my colleague and fellow educator, Felicia Lowrance. With Valentine’s Day coming up on Thursday, we thought it would be appropriate to write about love in wartime. After thinking about this topic for many days and reading...
Sentimental Journey
Uncategorized / 31.01.2013
Jack, It’s the G.I. Jive
For the past several weeks I have had one song on permanent loop in my head. Whatever I do, I can't seem to get rid of it. It comes out in a whistle as I drive to and from work, and it causes my two-year-old...
Uncategorized, Virginia Museum of Transportation, WWII trains, WWII transportation / 23.01.2013
Lunchbox Lecture: Troops, Trains, and Travel in World War II
Diesel Locomotive at the Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, VAToday I write on the coldest day of the season so far, and I sit bundled up in my office under a mountain of coats and blankets with my feet practically glued to the OSHA-approved foot...
Quick Coffee Cake, Uncategorized, WWII Rationing, WWII Recipe / 17.01.2013
Nothing Says “I’m Sorry” like a Coffee Cake
Okay. So I know I disappeared from the blogosphere for a few months, and I am truly sorry for absence. I took a few months away from the museum world to student teach, and silly me, I thought student teaching while maintaining a blog would...
Uncategorized / 25.07.2012
Our D-Day Fallen: Capt. Edward A. Peters
Captain Edward A. PetersCapt. Edward A. Peters served in the HQ Company of 506thParachute Infantry Regiment of 101st Airborne Division when he was killed in action on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Like nearly every other paratrooper dropped on D-Day, Capt. Peters hit Normandy far...
D-Day Memorial Event, family fun, free kids event, hands-on history, Uncategorized / 18.07.2012
Family Day: A 1940s Festival
This Saturday, travel back in time to a bygone era with music, vendors, living history, games, tours and more! The National D-Day Memorial presents its 1940s family day festival on Saturday, July 21st from 10AM-5PM, with a full ...
1940s Fashion, 1940s Swimsuit, Rationing, two-piece bathing suits, Uncategorized, WWII Fashion / 11.07.2012
The Two-Piece Swimsuit: Utilitarian Fashion
Clothing fashions of WWII have always been a source of fascination for me, not because I'm a fashion goddess and just have to know every detail of vintage fashions. Instead, I'm intrigued by the way the circumstances dictate fashion. Just as rationing affected recipes and...
ice cream recipe, sugarless ice cream, Uncategorized, WWII Recipe / 09.07.2012
Ration-Era Recipes: “Sugarless” Ice Cream
Ahhh. Ice Cream - one of my favorite things about summer, and in the midst of this heat wave in Central Virginia, I thought it was appropriate to test out a great ration-era ice cream recipe. (The recipe was taken from Grandma's Wartime Kitchen by...
D-Day Memorial, Father's Day Event, Uncategorized, WWII Model Display / 13.06.2012
WWII in Miniature: Father’s Day Event
Here at the Memorial, we're always looking for ways to engage our guests in new ways and to help make history come to life. Personally, I learn and appreciate history best when I've "experienced" aspects of the era through creative presentations. So, this weekend we're...
Amin Isbir, D-Day Fatality, D-Day Memorial, Uncategorized, WWII / 06.06.2012
Our D-Day Fallen: Coxswain Amin Isbir
For over eight years, Eric Montgomery has been on a mission to close the final chapter of his great uncle Amin Isbir’s D-Day story. Coxswain Amin Isbir, a member of the 6th Naval Beach Battalion, was reported killed in action on June 8, 1944. Montgomery...