From the NFRW Armed Services Committee

The National World War II (WWII) Museum closed due to COVID will reopen May 25, 2021 but at a reduced capacity while enacting new safety measures.  The museum, designated by Congress as the official WWII museum of the United States, is located in downtown New Orleans.  The National WWII Museum is about the American experience in the largest war ever fought in the world.  It is hoped that all generations will visit and understand what is meant when they hear the words “Home of the Free because of the Brave”.

Every day we lose more of our WWII veterans, dubbed The Greatest Generation, as they are now in their 80s, 90s, and a few in their 100s.  According to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, 325,574 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II were alive as of Sep 30, 2020.  Tom Brokaw popularized the term The Greatest Generation in his book by that name, published in 1998. He included everyone that experienced the Great Depression and WWII, as people on the home front were contributing to the war effort in many ways. 

Germany initiated the war with their invasion of Poland in 1939.  Europe became entangled in the war quickly, as did much of Southeast Asia and islands in the Pacific with the rise of Japan.  The United States remained neutral until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941.  WWII was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. The war lasted six years; ending with the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan in 1945.

Go to www.nationalww2museum.org to learn more about our history during WWII.