Blog Archive for August, 2007

With the start of school, the number of events here at the Museum and elsewhere increases dramatically. Next week, there are three very cool events - two film showing and a lecture - that I hope some of you can attend.

The War - A Film by Ken Burns
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 - 7pm
Theater, Monona Terrace & Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The Veterans Museum, along with Wisconsin Public Television and the Monona Terrace, are pleased to present this special one-hour preview of the new PBS World War II documentary. We watched this film at lunch the other day and it was very moving and thought-provoking. Burns masterfully weaves together the stories from the homefront with those from the frontlines in the Pacific and Europe. Highly recommended. Seating is limited and is first come, first served, so please arrive early. Representatives from the National Archives will be on hand to assist veterans and their family members in ordering military records from their St. Louis offices. Reps from the Veterans Museum and Wisconsin Public Television will also be present.

Now, from our friends at the Center for Russian, Eastern Europe, and Central Asian Studies on the UW-Madison campus…

“Khrushchev, the Man and His Era”
Thursday, September 6, 2007 - 4pm to 5:15pm
Room 325 - Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St., on the UW-Madison campus
FREE an Open to the public

Remembered by many as the Soviet leader who brandished his shoe at the United Nations, Khrushchev was in fact one of the most complex, colorful and important political figures of the 20th century. Complicit in Stalinist crimes, he attempted to de-Stalinize the USSR. His daring attempt to reform Communism prepared the way for its eventual collapse. His awkward efforts to ease the cold war triggered its most dangerous crises in Berlin and Cuba. William Taubman, winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Khrushchev, will analyze the Soviet leader’s personality, and show how it helps to explain his role in unmasking Stalin, and in sparking the Berlin and Cuban crises.

William Taubman, Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science at Amherst College, is the author of Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, published by W. W. Norton in March 2003. Khrushchev was awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for biography. It also received the 2004 National Book Critics Award for biography, the Wayne S. Vucinich Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, and the Robert H. Ferrell Book Prize of the Society of Historians of American Foreign Policy.

For more information, see: http://www.creeca.wisc.edu

Finally, for those of you in the Milwaukee area, a special program for Hispanic Heritage Month…

The Borinqueneers
Presented by the Roberto Hernandez Center, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Monday, September 17, 2007 - 7pm
Fireside Lounge at the Union Theater (1st Floor), 2200 E. Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The first major documentary to chronicle the never-before-told story of the Puerto Rican 65th Infantry Regiment, the only all-Hispanic unit in the history of the U.S. Army. Narrated by Hector Elizondo, the documentary explores the fascinating stories of courage, triumph and struggle of the men of the 65th through rare archival materials and compelling interviews with veterans, commanding officers, and historians.

For additional information, see: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Acad_Aff/RHC/

Again, we are a bit out of order, but we wanted to showcase the work of another guest Bracketologist, Kevin Hampton. Kevin has been volunteering here at the Museum this summer, and has a great interest in Wisconsin Civil War history. We hope that you enjoy his work!

The heroism displayed by the men of the 2nd and 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiments can be seen in no clearer display than that of the events of the morning of September 17, 1862 at the Battle of Antietam.

The 2nd Wisconsin was still feeling the pains of the last two previous battles it was engaged in within the last three weeks. Having suffered heavily at the Battles of Brawner’s Farm (which opened the Second Battle of Bull Run) and at South Mountain the regiment was down to 150 men able for duty. At dawn on September 17th, the 2nd Wisconsin was ordered to take up a position on the front line of the assault with the 6th on its left and the remaining two regiments of the Iron Brigade in support. As the 2nd Wisconsin advanced from the north, it encountered Miller’s Cornfield. The entire brigade was ordered to advance through the cornfield and engage the enemy on the other side. As the 2nd reached the southern end of the cornfield, they encountered confederate troops from Georgia in the open field in front of them. The 2nd and the 6th withstood heavy fire from the Georgia men, but managed to inflict more damage on them, and thus pushed them back. The Confederates were forced to withdraw over a road flanked by fences. As the Georgia men climbed over the second fence the 2nd Wisconsin caught up with them on the other side of the first fence and for several terrifying minutes, the 2nd Wisconsin and the Georgia men fired at each other from only a few yards away separated only by the rails of the two wooden fences. After the devastating fire had forced the Georgians to route to the rear, the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin tried to pursue but ran head long into Confederate General Hood’s Texas Brigade. The two Wisconsin regiments, having already suffered greatly from the morning’s fight and running low on ammunition, could not hold off an entire brigade of fresh enemy troops and so withdrew back through the same cornfield they had fought so hard to take.

A particular moment of valor that should be recognized amidst the action is that of the regimental flag bearer, Private Robert Stevenson, of Company C, 2nd Wisconsin. Private Stevenson carried the regimental flag on the first Bull Run battlefield, and again on the second Bull Run battlefield on the 29th and 30th of August, 1862. When he heard skirmishing on the morning of the 17th of September, Stevenson sprang from his bed at the field hospital at Antietam and pushed on alone to find his regiment. The 2nd Wisconsin was already under fire and so he reported himself to his Captain, saying, “Captain, I am with you to the last” and took the colors, which he held till he was shot down, pierced with seven bullets.

The 2nd Wisconsin went in to the Battle of Antietam with 150 men and had suffered 91 killed and wounded. Among the wounded was the regiment’s acting commander Lt. Col. Allen who was filling in for Col. Lucius Fairchild, who was ill.

Col. Fairchild, however, insisted on still being near his men (though not in command of them) and so went to the cornfield in an ambulance and as his men became more heavily engaged he insisted on mounting his horse and had his aid bring a bed roll so when there was a lull in the fighting he could lie down.

As mentioned in the previous round the 3rd Wisconsin fought valiantly at Antietam as well. The 3rd Wisconsin entered the battle on the 17th of September as the 2nd Wisconsin was withdrawing back through the cornfield.

The 3rd took the place of the 2nd on the field and thus endured the brunt of Hood’s Texans assault. The 3rd managed to hold against the Texans but suffered greatly and so were replaced by fresh troops. As mentioned in the previous round it was after this battle that the 3rd exchanged its muskets for Springfield rifles. It should be noted that those Springfield rifles were the weapons left behind on the field by the 2nd Wisconsin’s dead and wounded!

Following the battle of Gettysburg and the 3rd’s actions in the New York City riots, the regiment was transferred to the Western Theater of the war and assigned to the Army of the Cumberland. There the 3rd took part in the Battle of Resaca, Cassville, Dallas, Pine Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, and the siege of Atlanta. After the fall of Atlanta they partook in the famous “March to the Sea” and saw more action at Sandersville and Savannah, Georgia. From Savannah they moved north with the army into South Carolina and fought at Robertsville, Winnsboro, and Fayetteville. They continued north into North Carolina until the end of the war.

Though both regiments displayed great courage and valor in the face of the enemy, inevitably it is the 2nd that takes the 3rd in this round.

Finally, we have the first result from round 3. It will be posted shortly - look for the rest of the matchups next week. Thanks for checking in and keeping up to date with the results.

Today, August 16, 2007, is the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, singer, musical pioneer, and veteran. Presley served his country from 1958 to 1960, first as part of Company A, Second Medium Tank Battalion, Second Armored Division, and later with the Thirty-Second Tank Battalion, Third Armored Division in Germany. Presley received his draft notice in late 1957, and reported for induction in March 1958, after receiving a 60-day deferment so he could finish filming King Creole. The military and even President Eisenhower received thousands of letters from angry Presley fans convinced that the government was trying to sabotage his career by drafting him. They felt he was a national treasure and should be exempt from such service. The military encouraged Presley to enlist, offering to create an “Elvis Presley Company” that would consist of men from the Memphis area. He turned them down and took his chances with the draft.

Ever the huckster, Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, turned the entire process into a circus. Parker knew that he and Elvis could make a TON of money because of Elvis’ new role as a patriotic young man willing to serve his country and not seek a deferment because of his superstar status. The concerns about declining album sales and his dedicated fans forgetting about him went unfounded since RCA and Col. Parker made sure that no one forgot about Elvis, even thought they could not see him in action in Germany.

Presley went through basic training with the rest of the men at Fort Hood, Texas (he lived off base), and received a fair amount of ribbing from his fellow soldiers about being a spoiled superstar. However, within the first few days of training, Presley acquitted himself nicely, performing drills and tasks at a high level and earning the respect of the other men. Sadly, Presley’s mother fell ill while he was at Fort Hood, and died on August 14, 1958 in Memphis. A month later, Presley and the rest of his company headed to New York to ship out to Germany. Nearly 2,000 screaming German fans welcomed Presley when he and his fellow soldiers arrived on October 1, 1958.

While in Germany, Presley again lived off base in a house with his father, Vernon, and his grandmother, Minnie Mae, who did all the cooking for the family. Several of his friends from Memphis lived in the house as well. Many times, they stayed up all night singing spirituals and pop songs. When in the field, Presley participated in tank maneuvers, reconnaissance patrols, and served as a driver for his sergeant. He pulled KP and guard duty, the latter of which ended abruptly when local residents found out Presley would be near the perimeter of the base and hounded him for autographs all night. After fulfilling his military commitment, Presley returned home in March 1960.

All the worries about Elvis being a disposable idol were completely unfounded, as his records continued to sell regularly during his tour in Germany. When Presley returned stateside, he participated in a “Welcome Home, Elvis” television special with Frank Sinatra, which earned him $125,000, a monumental payday for any star. Shortly thereafter, Elvis returned to the studio and cut “Stuck on You” and “Fame and Fortune,” which became instant hits. And of course, his first movie after returning home was G.I. Blues, which highlighted the American soldier’s experience in Germany…set to music…and poorly acted.

Also in Germany, three significant events occurred that shaped the remainder of Elvis’ life. First, Germany is where he became entranced by karate. While training at Fort Hood, Elvis viewed a demonstration on hand-to-hand combat. The experience stuck with him, and during his spare time in Germany, he trained with karate expert Jurgen Seydel. He also learned a great deal from Hank Slamansky, a sergeant with the 101st Airborne and an expert in chito-ryu karate. Slamansky’s training prepared Elvis for his black belt test, which he passed with flying colors back in the states in 1960. Slamansky later served three tours in Vietnam as a member of the Special Forces. Presley met his only wife, Priscilla Beaulieu, in Germany. The 14-year old daughter (he was 24) of Colonel Paul Beaulieu, Priscilla was merely a starry-eyed fan when she met Elvis. He took an instant liking to her and their trans-oceanic romance began. The couple was married in 1967, but later divorced in 1973. It was also in Germany where Presley became severely addicted to pills. He began taking uppers when he was in the field, but continued to take them when he was on leave or hanging out at his house in Bad Nauheim. Elvis was always a night owl and now he had something that gave him energy for those all-night sing-a-longs and jam sessions that he loved so much.

Throughout his career, Elvis never forgot about his stint in the military. He was very proud to have served his country. In early 1961, Presley performed two benefit concerts in Hawaii to help raise money for the USS Arizona Memorial. Those concerts raised thousands of dollars for the construction of the project, an accomplishment he remained proud of for the remainder of his life. While on tour in the early 1970s, Presley oftentimes gave money to soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen returning home from Vietnam.

Elvis has been gone for 30 years, but his music and legacy carry on still today.

Images courtesy Stars & Stripes Magazine - www.stripes.com
For more on Elvis’ life, check out the superb two volume biography by Peter Guralnick - Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Little, Brown, & Co., 1995) and
Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley (Little, Brown, & Co., 1999)

As promised, here is our tentative fall 2007 program schedule.

There will likely be one or two events in November, and special event in early December that we cannot yet announce. If you would like to join our mailing list and receive our quarterly newsletter and/or join our email list, please leave a comment and I will put you on the list. Do not worry - your information stays confidential and we will NOT sell it or give it to anyone else.

All programs are free and open to the public and will be held in the 2nd Floor Education Center here at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum unless noted otherwise.

SEPTEMBER 2007
The War: A Ken Burns Film
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 – 7pm
A special, one-hour preview of PBS’ forthcoming 14-hour mini-series

Special location:
Theater, Monona Terrace and Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison

Presented by Wisconsin Public Television, the Monona Terrace and Convention Center, and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum

“The Italian Navy Enters World War 2 - Fascism and the New Roman Empire 1938-1940″
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 – Noon
Robert Mallett, Professor of History, University of Birmingham

Lecture and discussion

Third Down and a War to Go
Thursday, September 20, 2007 – 7pm
Terry Frei, author

Lecture and book signing

Private Soldiers: A Year in Iraq with a National Guard Unit
Tuesday, September 25, 2007 – 7pm
With author Capt. Benjamin Buchholz, and photographers SSgt. Joseph Streeter and Lt. Nathan Olson

Panel discussion and book signing

OCTOBER 2007
“Narratives of Bombing: Tokyo and Hiroshima, 1945″
Tuesday, October 2, 2007 – 7pm
Andrew Rotter, Professor of History, Colgate University

Lecture and discussion

A 2007 Distinguished Lecture Series Event
Presented in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of History, the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE), Global Security Program, and the Division of International Studies

Talking Spirits IX: Forest Hill Cemetery Tour
Thursday & Friday, October 4-5, 2007 - 9am to 4pm (school groups - reservations required)
Sunday, October 7, 2007 - Noon to 4pm (open to the public - tours leave every 15 minutes)

A special living history event honoring the contributions of Wisconsin’s Civil War veterans and those who contributed to the war effort here at home and elsewhere. School groups are $40/group; individuals are $5 (adults) and $2 (children) on Sunday.

Event held at Forest Hill Cemetery, 1 Speedway Road, on Madison’s near west side

Henry Kissinger and the American Century
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 – 7pm
Jeremi Suri, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Lecture and book signing

Part of the 2007 Wisconsin Book Festival (www.wisconsinbookfestival.com)
A 2007 Distinguished Lecture Series Event
Presented in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of History, the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE), Global Security Program, and the Division of International Studies

The Ghost Mountain Boys: The Terrifying Battle for Buna & the Forgotten War of the South Pacific
Saturday, October 13, 2007 – Noon
James Campbell, author

Lecture and book signing

Part of the 2007 Wisconsin Book Festival (www.wisconsinbookfestival.com)

“The Global War on Terror: A Status Report”
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 7pm
Daniel Benjamin, Director, Center on the United States and Europe and Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institute

A 2007 Distinguished Lecture Series Event
A University of Wisconsin-Madison “Humanities Biennial” Event
Presented in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for the Humanities, Department of History, the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE), Global Security Program, and the Division of International Studies

NOVEMBER 2007
Way of the Warrior
Thursday, November 1, 2007 - 7pm
A special premier of the new PBS documentary
Patty Loew, producer, Professor of Life Science Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Film showing and discussion

Special location:
Theater, Monona Terrace and Convention Center, 1 John Nolen Drive, Madison

Presented by Wisconsin Public Television, the Monona Terrace and Convention Center, and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum

Round 2 is behind us - here’s what is on tap for Round 3 - the Elite Eight!

(1) 7th Vol. Infantry v. (8) 1st Vol. Infantry
(4) 3rd Vol. Infantry v. (5) 2nd Vol. Infantry

(3) 6th Vol. Infantry v. (6) 26th Vol. Infantry
(2) 5th Vol. Infantry v. (10) 21st Vol. Infantry

Here is the updated bracket.

We will try and get to these next week. As you may have noticed, the length of the posts has increased dramatically simply because we keep finding some incredible stories to tell.

Please check out the MUSEUM PROGRAMS tab on the WVMF site as we have posted the first handful of fall programs. We have some excellent events on tap and we hope to see you there!