Blog Archive for July, 2008

Many thanks to Jennifer Kaye for her excellent presentation last Tuesday on Sgt. Norra Prohaska, who served with the 32nd MPs in Iraq during 2003-04. We will be covering Sgt. Prohaska’s story in-depth in the upcoming “Faces in the Sand” exhibit, and the story of the 32nd as a whole, a unit that was nearly 40% female.

Helmet cover: Camouflage helmet cover worn by Sgt. Prohaska in Iraq. Sgt. Prohaska wrote two quotes on the helmet cover: “because war causes so much death and misery it can only be justified by showing that the alternative will bring greater horrors” by Jonathan Glover and “what we do in war- which, after all, lasts a comparatively short time, affects the whole character of peace, which covers a much longer period” by George Bull. Both quotes helped her focus on the greater mission rather than the day to day hardships.

Matchbook: The matchbook features images of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The Arabic writing on the matchbook explains that there was a reward for his capture. Al-Zarqawi was killed in an US air strike in June 2006.

Iraqi Most Wanted Lighter: The front of this lighter features the image of Huda Ammash’s Iraqi Most Wanted playing card. Ammash was the only member of the Iraqi Command, the 18 member council that ran the Ba’ath Party. According to US intelligence services she was the mastermind behind the reconstruction of Iraq’s biological weapons facilities after the 1991 Gulf War. She surrendered in 2003 to US Forces and was later released in 2005.

Twin Towers Lighter: A man came by Sgt. Prohaska’s police station in Baghdad and tried to sell these lighters to the US troops. The lighter depicts a plane crashing into the Twin Towers and has an image of Osama Bin Laden’s face. When the lighter is in use, the red explosion lights up.

Saddam Hussein fan: Sgt. Prohaska bought this fan in the marketplace. The leather fan has an image of Saddam Hussein the center and images of the Golden Harp of Ur, The Spiral of Sammarra, The Winged Bull, The Ishtar Gate, and the Lion of Babylon around the edges.

Burka/Niqaab: Sgt. Prohaska purchased this burka in Kuwait.

Victory in the Gulf War Medal: Saddam Hussein gave these victory medals to the army after the Gulf War in 1991. He told the country that they had won the war against the Americans and since US troops did not cross into Iraq and the country was so heavily censored they did not know otherwise.

Obituary Banner: This banner was given to Sgt Prohaska by her interpreter. During the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam banned obituaries from local newspapers in an attempt to hide the high number of casualties. As a result, a new tradition of announcing the death of a loved one was developed where Iraqi’s paint an obituary on a black cloth and hang it up on a wall in the neighborhood.

Map Bag: Sgt. Prohaska used this map bag during her tour in Iraq. The drawings on the bag are the Shaheed Monument, the Hands of Victory Monument, a scorpion for the 2nd Platoon, a Sergeant insignia, and the insignia of the 18th Military Police Brigade. The Arabic writing on the bag says “Sadhiya” which was a nickname another officer gave Prohaska.

Many thanks to museum registrar Kris Zickuhr for putting together the first 7-7-7 presentation on a woman soldier. Juanita Goodl served as a WAC Intelligence Officer with the Army Air Corps during World War II. In fact, Goold was one of the very first WACs in the European theater and worked on the planning of the D-Day invasion.

1) Footlocker. Manufactured in 1940 by American Hardware Company. Retains address labels and stamps from shipment to and from Captain Goold’s home in Madison, Wisconsin.

2) Cosmetic or pill case. Picked up by Captain Goold as a souvenir in England. Hallmarks show it was made in 1900 in Birmingham, England, possibly by H. Matthews, made of Sterling Silver.

3) Socks. Handknit, probably by the Red Cross. Red Cross volunteers were active in knitting for the troops, a tradition which dates to at least the Civil War and continues today. These socks are somewhat unusual because their size shows they were clearly knit for a female soldier, most knitting was done for male troops. Knitting for the troops continues today, with balaclavas (similar to ski masks) being made for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

4) Uniform, “greens and pinks”. WAC Officers were required to purchase their own uniforms after an initial clothing allowance. As a result many officer uniforms are tailor made and each is slightly different. “Greens and pinks” were a semi-dress winter uniform, only worn by officers.

a. Jacket, dark olive drab, tailor made by Simpson and Son in London, England in 1942. SHAEF shoulder sleeve insignia (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force), Signal Corps collar insignia, ribbons representing American Campaign Medal; European, African, Middle Eastern Medal (commonly called the ETO or European Theater of Operations ribbon) with stars for Southern France, Central Europe and Rhineland campaigns; World War II Victory Medal. Captain’s rank insignia on shoulders.

b. Skirt is light olive drab, with a pinkish cast, commonly known as “pinks”. Tailor made in France in 1942, wool twill.

5) Scrapbook. Newspaper clippings, photographs and momentos of Captain Goold’s experiences in Europe during World War II. The scrapbook includes a sketch of when she was dropped off in a field in France as well as a receipt for the tailor made uniform jacket referenced above.

6) Cap, United Women Veterans. Pins for U.S. Army, World War II service and the 50th anniversary of World War II.

7) Portrait, Captain Juanita Goold, artist Kari Barth. This was probably painted in later years from a photograph. The uniform shown is the summer khakis.

The series will reach its halfway point today, so please stop by for the remaining events. We have some more great objects and stories to share with you.

 Also, stop into the museum gallery and see the national colors of the 12th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. It is a great flag!

Week two of “7 Weeks, 7 Veterans, 7 Objects” brought us the story of Brig. Gen. Cassius Fairchild, an officer with the 16th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Fairchild led his men into battle at Shiloh in April 1862, and was severely wounded, keeping him from duty until early 1863. He returned to his regiment and stayed through the end of the war, eventually becoming a Colonel and commanding the unit during the latter stages of the war. Fairchild died in 1868, reinjuring his war wound while serving as a pall bearer for a friend’s funeral.

The starting lineup:

1. Hat (V1998.1.36) - Black fur felt, regulation enlisted uniform hat (1858 pattern) made by Warnock & Co., the first company to receive a contract to produce hats for the military. Black oilcloth label glued to the top of the crown with Cassius’ name affixed to the label. This hat is interesting because of the hat cord. Most officer’s hats had a black silk and gold wire cord, but this has a black-and-gold wool cord, which closely resembles an enlisted man’s cord.

2. Coat (V1995.25.34) - Dark blue wool, double-breasted frock coat.

3. Vest (V1995.25.79) - Buff colored wool vest with cotton lining and backing. “Cassius Fairchild, 16th Wis. Vols.” written inside the left portion of the vest.

4. Trousers (V1998.1.339) - Dark blue wool broadcloth officer’s trousers originally attributed to Lucius Fairchild, but WVM curators deemed them to be too large to be worn by him. All of Cassius’ objects donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society by Mrs. Lucius Fairchild in 1914, and there has been much confusion to as which articles belonged to each brother.

5. Baton (V1998.1.580) - Marshal’s baton used by General Cassius Fairchild during July 4, 1866 parade in downtown Madison. Governor Lucius Fairchild organized the parade to commemorate the end of the Civil War and to show the strength of Wisconsin’s Civil War veterans. Nearly 20,000 people attended the parade, the highlight of which was the presentation of the regimental and national battle flags to the state. A color guard of veterans from each Wisconsin regiment carried the flags. The baton is wood, painted white, and decorated with red, white, and blue silk ribbons, and gold paper glued to each end. The “Order of Procession” for the parade is also glued to the baton. General Lysander Cutler (6th Wisconsin, Iron Brigade) commanded the First Division, which included state officials (governor, cabinet members, supreme court justices, UW regents), disabled soldiers, and the battle flags. General Cassius Fairchild commanded the Second Division, which featured local officials such as the mayor, the fire department, the city’s brass band, the “mounted Butcher’s Association.”

6. Chest (V1998.1.43.1a,b) - Wooden liquor chest privately purchased by Cassius Fairchild in St. Louis between March 13 and March 18, 1862. Chest manufactured by Warne Cheever & Co., which had a six-story storefront and factory in downtown St. Louis. The company made chests for hotels, steamboats, and house furnishings, but also camp chests and field desks for military officers. The chest is painted a deep Prussian blue (almost cobalt) and has black steel fixtures. Contained in the chest are five liquor bottles (orignally six), five whiskey tumblers, nutmeg nuts, sugar cubes, a cordial glass, two wine glasses, a spoon, and. a cork screw. If you closely examine this photo taken before Shiloh, you can see a partially full liquor bottle - I wonder if this is the missing bottle?

7. Regimental flag, 16th Wisconsin Volunteers. This flag was issued to the regiment by Governor Louis Harvey on December 30, 1861. Coincidentally, Harvey drowned in the Tennessee River after visiting Wisconsin troops decimated at the Battle of Shiloh. Cassius Fairchild returned this flag, along with the regiment’s national flag, to Governor Lewis in early 1864 while on furlough. The regiment was issued new flags that they carried through the rest of the war. Currently, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum has the first issue regimental, and the seond issue regimental and national flags, but the first issue national flag is missing. Anyone know where it might be?

Two blog posts in a week - must be some kind of record!

As some of you may know, we are undertaking another series of artifact-based lectures this summer. Last year we did “7 Wars,” while this year we are doing “7 Veterans.” We have had two successful programs so far and hopeful that holds true throughout the rest of the series.

For those of you who missed out, we will recap what artifacts each speaker presented. Sadly, we don’t have pictures of them (soon!), but we will describe the provenance of each object. So, for week one, Reference Archivist Russ Horton took on General Charles King, who served in five campaigns from the Civil War through World War I - a military career that spanned from 1861 to 1918!

“7 Weeks, 7 Veterans, 7 Objects - Week One”
General Charles King, United States Army and Wisconsin National Guard
1844-1933

The starting lineup:

1) M1917 Officer’s Coat (V1999.1.268.1)- This coat tells the story of King’s service, from the Wisconsin National Guard collar insignia and wound chevron on the right sleeve to the five campaign ribbons (Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, Philippine War, World War I) that only King earned the right to wear.

2) M1881 Cavalry Helmet (V1995.27.304a-c)- Featuring a buffalo hair plume and ornate gold wire details, King wore this helmet for dress occasions while serving with the 5th U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars.

3) Buckskin Riding Trousers (V1999.1.1)- A gift from “Buffalo Bill” Cody, King wore these beaded buckskin trousers in the field while serving in Wyoming and the Dakotas with the 5th U.S. Cavalry.

4) Novels (Library)- As storied a military career as he had, King was at least as well known to the nation as a writer, as evidenced by his many published books, both fiction and non-fiction.

5) Epaulettes (V1995.26.145a,b)- King wore these epaulettes while serving in the Philippines to reflect his rank of brigadier general.

6) Gruen Wrist Watch (V2000.46.1)- This gold wrist watch was presented to King by a regiment of the Wisconsin State Guard in appreciation of his stateside service during World War I.

7) General Charles King Camp No. 44 Flag (V2002.64.1)- A group of Spanish-American War veterans located at the Wisconsin Veterans Home named their camp after Charles King while he was alive, indicating the regard with which the state held him. The village in which the Wisconsin Veterans Home is located was renamed King in his honor in 1941.

http://eyesofthearmy.dva.state.wi.us

2008 marks the 90th Anniversary of the end of World War I. To commemorate this important historical moment in American history as well as the central role of Wisconsin’s veterans in the conflict, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum presents, “Eyes of the Army: The Life and Letters of World War I Aerial Observer Lt. Mortimer M. Lawrence.” This new online exhibit follows the service of 1st Lt. Mortimer M. Lawrence, a native of Beaver Dam, as he travels from basic training camp at Fort Sheridan, Illinois to the skies above war-ravaged Europe as a member of the 104th Aero Squadron. Participating in daring and dangerous aerial reconnaissance missions along the Western Front, Lawrence not only received the Silver Star for bravery, but is credited with shooting down the last German aircraft of World War I. A prolific writer, Lawrence recorded his experiences of Army life from May 1917 to May 1919 in the numerous and detailed letters he sent home to friends and family. Eyes of the Army, which will showcase nearly the entire Lawrence Collection over the course of the next two years, publishes each letter as well as any accompanying photographs or materials 90 years from the day they were written, giving viewers the impression that they are experiencing Lawrence’s day-by-day adventures in real-time. These documents contain a plethora of information and offer viewers a truly firsthand account of what life was like for a World War I flyer. Utilizing new technologies and especially the Internet to make history more accessible to people everywhere, Eyes of the Army is an exciting new exhibit.