WAR STORIES
Discover the latest in artifacts from the museum, project updates, partnerships, and untold firsthand accounts from veterans.
Follow our journey of documenting the stories of World War II veterans, educating the next generation, and giving the past a future, one story at a time.
97-YEAR-OLD 101ST AIRBORNE VETERAN OF NORMANDY
Michael Camasso is a 97-year-old WWII veteran of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and one of the last surviving members of his unit, which saw fierce combat across the European theater from Normandy to Germany…
US 2ND RANGER BATTALION RELIEVED AT POINTE DU HOC
On this day in 1944, the US 2nd Ranger Battalion at Pointe du Hoc was relieved by the 29th Infantry Division. Halfway between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc's 100-foot cliffs were scaled by the rangers in the early hours of D-Day, capturing and holding the vital position for two days…
REMEMBERING D-DAY | 78TH ANNIVERSARY
With flak bursting around him and bullets whizzing through the dark sky, 18-year-old Michael Camasso opened his parachute and glided down into the unknown. The date was June 6, 1944, D-Day. As a Private First Class in HQ Company, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Camasso was one of 13,000 American paratroopers to jump into France during the Allied invasion of occupied Europe…
78TH ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION OVERLORD / D-DAY
"The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you." – General Dwight D. Eisenhower - Today marks the 78th Anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944…
D-DAY ANNIVERSARY
In the early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944, John Raaen was among the first to land on Omaha Beach, serving as Headquarters Company Commander of the 5th Ranger Battalion…
320th BARRAGE BALLOON BATALION ON D-DAY
On June 6, 1944, soldiers from the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion were scattered in landing craft up and down Utah and Omaha Beaches. Among them was 22-year-old Thomas E. McKinley Jr…