The Bugle Spring 2020

“Photomontage by Marine Corp in memory of Iwo Jima”

From the scrapbook of Oliver J. Haessly a Milwaukee, Wisconsin resident who served as a photographer’s mate in the United States Navy during World War II. WVM.1023.I113

MUSEUM STAFF

DIRECTOR

CHRISTOPHER L. KOLAKOWSKI 608.266.1009

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

JENNIFER VAN HAAFTEN 608.261.6802

OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

ELISE MCFARLANE 608.261.0534

ORAL HISTORIAN

LUKE SPRAGUE 608.261.0537

CURATOR OF HISTORY

KEVIN HAMPTON 608.261.5409

PROCESSING ARCHIVIST

BRITTANY STROBEL 608.800.6958

COLLECTIONS MANAGER

ANDREA HOFFMAN 608.800.6957

REFERENCE ARCHIVIST

RUSS HORTON 608.267.1790

REGISTRAR

SARAH KAPELLUSCH 608.800.6955

CURATOR OF EXHIBITS

GREGORY KRUEGER 608.261.0541

STORE MANAGER

GREG LAWSON 608.261.0535

ART EXHIBIT COORDINATOR

YVETTE PINO 608.266.1854

EDUCATION SPECIALIST

ERIK WRIGHT 608.264.7663

THE WISCONSIN VETERANS MUSEUM

FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT

DAN CHECKI

VICE PRESIDENT

JOANE MATHEWS

TREASURER

DAN HEILIGER SECRETARY

TOM HUISMANN

DAN GREENE

WILLIAM F. HUSTAD

TIMOTHY LA SAGE

JOSEPH NAYLOR

PHIL PRANGE

BOB SIMMONS

ALEJANDRO ARANGO-ESCALANTE

FOUNDATION STAFF

COLLECTION DONORS

COMMENTS & SUBMISSIONS

We welcome your comments and editorial submissions concerning The Bugle. Comments and submissions should be sent to Jennifer Van Haaften at Jennifer.VanHaaften@dva.wisconsin.gov

THE BUGLE is published quarterly for our members and friends through the support of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation provides funds for the support of artifact acquisitions, exhibit production, and the development of educational

Editor's Notes

In this issue we welcome new director, Christopher Kolakowski. He steps into a long line of custodians, curators, and directors who have had the honor and privilege of caring for Wisconsin’s veterans’ stories. The first leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall were veterans of the Civil War who had lobbied the state legislature to create the hall through state statute. In their foresight, the legislature established this memorial to commemorate Wisconsin’s role in the Civil War and “any subsequent war.” By 1938, the first veteran of the Spanish-American War became custodian and in 1945, with the creation of the Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs, the Memorial Hall was given to its charge and leadership.

In the 1970s, the first professional curator trained in museum practices headed the staff, which also was accompanied by a change in the name of the Hall to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. By 1982, Richard Zeitlin was named the first director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Christopher Kolakowski is the third person to be named director in the history of the Museum.

Throughout its history, the Memorial, later Museum, continues to follow the mandate of its first statute, to commemorate Wisconsin’s role in the Civil War and any subsequent war. Over the years, the dedicated staff continued to update the exhibits to acknowledge Wisconsinites' participation in the Spanish-American and Philippines Wars, World War I and World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and more recently the Persian Gulf War and post 9/11 military actions in the Middle East. They also worked to collect and preserve the stories of service members who maybe did not see combat, but whose roles were vital to the functioning of the military across the globe. The focus for museum staff now is on “Every veteran is a story,” collecting objects, papers, photos, and oral histories from people of every stripe. Their only commonalities, may be that they served in a branch of the military and were from Wisconsin. But the more we dig into these stories, the more on the surface we see ourselves in these people who only took the extra step to serve their country. We hope you will stop in to see our service members in a new light.

Grand Army Headquarters and Memorial Hall, Department of Wisconsin, Capitol, Madison, 1903.

North.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear Friends of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum,

Greetings! I am honored to be the latest director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, having taken the helm here on January 6, 2020. This is an exciting time for the museum with opportunities to build on previous successes and explore new possibilities.

I’m very happy to be here in the Badger State. In fact, coming to Madison brings me back to part of my roots. My mother’s family is from Green County and Juneau County; today I have relatives in many parts of the state, including the west side of Madison. My ancestors helped settle New Glarus, and I am a proud descendent of Wisconsin veterans of all branches from the Civil War through the Cold War. I have visited Wisconsin many times to see family, and often made a trip to the Museum. I’ve long respected the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, so when the chance to be a part of its future came along, I jumped at it.

At the Museum, we often get questions about what we do and how we do it. This issue showcases some great items and stories from our current holdings. As you flip through these pages, you will see what an outstanding team we have here at the museum, and how passionate they are about preserving and telling the stories of Wisconsin Veterans.

Thank you for your support, and hope to see you at the museum soon!

Chris Kolakowski

Grand Army Headquarters and Memorial Hall, Department of Wisconsin, Capitol, Madison, 1903. Looking South. WVM Mss 4

COLLECTIONS FROM THE

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum recently added the exceptional collection of World War II veteran Russell C. Meartz to its permanent holdings. A lifelong resident of Appleton, Wisconsin, Meartz enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces on January 6, 1942 and trained stateside as a flight engineer on B-25s and B-26s before deploying to Europe two years later. As part of the 587th Bomb Squadron, 394th Bomb Group, Meartz flew 65 missions between March and November of 1944. He survived two incidents during that period; the first a midair collision with another U.S. plane on April 22, followed by being shot down over France on June 13th. The latter incident—his 40th mission—is represented as a parachute above the pocket on his A-2 bomber jacket. Meartz kept the lifesaving parachute and sent it home to be made into a wedding dress for his future wife as well as baptismal gowns for his children and grandchildren. He returned to the states that December and was discharged on June 21, 1945, having earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions the previous summer.

By: Andrea Hoffman Collections Manager

Critical Step to Tokyo: THE BATTLE OF SAIPAN 15 June -

9 July 1944

In June 1944, the same month as Allied armies landed in France and fought their way up the Italian peninsula, on the other side of the world U.S. forces fought a critical series of battles on and around the Mariana Islands that contributed much to victory over Japan. The largest and arguably most important of these victories was the Battle of Saipan, which proved a key turning point in the Pacific War.

By: Chris Kolakowski Museum Director

After Admiral Chester Nimitz’ Central Pacific forces captured the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, they turned their sights on the Marianas, 1,500 miles from Japan and a key part of Japan’s defense perimeter (known as the Absolute National Defense Zone) in the Pacific. The largest island in the chain was Saipan, and eliminating its 32,000-man garrison was the first critical step in breaking the Absolute National Defense Zone. This task fell to Major General Holland M. Smith’s V Amphibious Corps, comprised of 71,000 men in 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions and the Army’s 27th Infantry Division. Admiral Raymond Spruance’s U.S. Fifth Fleet covered the landing with the powerful Task Force 58, under Wisconsin-born Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher.

On June 15, the first Americans stormed ashore on Saipan’s southwest coast. Fierce Japanese counterattacks failed to dislodge the invaders. Offshore, the Japanese Navy sailed in an effort to crush the invasion fleet; in response, Spruance deployed Task Force 58 in a defensive position west of the Marianas. The resulting Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 19-20, saw over 550 Japanese aircraft destroyed against a loss of only 123 American planes. U.S. submarines and planes sank three Japanese carriers, while Japanese airstrikes slightly damaged a battleship. Mitscher’s sailors nicknamed their lopsided victory The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.

The Battle of the Philippine Sea did not stop the land fighting, as meanwhile Smith’s forces cleared most of southern Saipan and started north into the rugged mountains along the island’s center. The Japanese had dug in to the many caves in the area, each of which needed to be neutralized before the Americans could advance. For over a week the soldiers and Marines grappled with both the terrain and the enemy, with daily progess measured in hundreds of yards.

By early July the soldiers and Marines had captured most of Saipan, including the city of Garapan, the island’s capital. Victory was in sight as the 27th Infantry and 4th Marine Divisions pushed northward. On the morning of July 7, 4,000 Japanese, representing most of the remaining defenders and including civilians and walking wounded, launched a mass attack (called a Banzai charge) against the 27th’s 105th Infantry Regiment. The Japanese broke through in fierce fighting, but were wiped out by Marine reinforcements. Milwaukee-born Captain (Dr.) Ben Salomon earned the Medal of Honor for defending his hospital until death, one of three posthumous Medals of Honor awarded to men of the 105th. This was the largest Banzai charge of the Pacific War. The next day the 4th Marine Division pushed north against very light resistance. In the 4th Marine Division’s 24th Marine Regiment was

Corporal Robert Tierney of Chippewa Falls, who had already cheated death twice in the battle. At 4:30 P.M. on July 8 a radioman prematurely announced that the island was secured; 20 minutes later, a Japanese sniper shot Tierney in the back, seriously wounding him. (Tierney received his Purple Heart in hospital from Bob Hope, who was visiting at the time. This story is part of the Museum’s Every Veteran Is A Story online exhibit.)

As the Marines reached Marpi Point on the island’s northeast tip, they encountered most of Saipan’s remaining Japanese civilian population. These men, women, and children had been told to expect brutality at the hands of the Americans. Many took their own lives with guns or grenades, while about 1,000 jumped off the cliffs around Marpi Point into the sea. Marine pleas to stop were ignored. These suicides were among the estimated 22,000 Japanese civilians who died during the battle from all causes. On July 9, 1944, Saipan was officially declared secure.

Saipan’s Japanese defenders perished almost to a man; one of the dead was Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, who led the carrier forces at Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway and was senior naval officer in the Marianas. The V Amphibious Corps lost 14,000 casualties, or 20% of the attacking force.

The Battle of Saipan proved to be important in several respects. First, the American victory forever broke Japanese power in the middle Pacific. Saipan’s capture, along with Guam and Tinian, placed the Japanese home islands within range of B-29 bombers, a fact the U.S. Army Air Forces

would exploit for the rest of the war. It was also the first battle involving many Japanese civilians, and the Marpi Point suicides forshadowed similar behavior on other islands in future battles. Lastly, Saipan was the largest Central Pacific and Marine Corps battle to date, demonstrating growing U.S. power.

The Japanese recognized what the American victory meant. “The war was lost,” stated Prince Naruhiko Higashiuni, commander of Japan’s home defenses, “when the Marianas were taken away from Japan.”

(Previous spread) Fighter plane contrails mark the sky over Task Force 58, during the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot,” 19 June 1944 Public Domain V Amphibious Corps insignia from the George W. Fox, Jr. collection. Fox served in the Marine Corps as a 1st lieutenant, Signal Battalion, V Amphibious Corps during World War II. V2007.21.9

“ The war was lost when the Marianas were taken away from Japan . ”

Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, USMC (left). On board USS Rocky Mount (AGC-3) at H-hour of D-day off Saipan, 15 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Photo #: 80-G-307681

Image caption handwritten by Robert Tierney. “Picture taken on Maui H.I about April 1944...After the Battle for Saipan-Tinian, 6 were KIA and 6 were wounded...” WVM.I714.I001

I could see that beach. I saw Mt. Suribachi over on the left, and the billowing smoke and sand and stuff just rising hundreds of feet in the air… About that time I thought to myself what the hell am I doing here… The first thing, even before I hit the black sand, I saw three rows of dead Americans, dead Marines. That was my first view. My second view was the black sand… We hid in the first hole that we could, you know, guys spread out like they were taught to do and hid in the holes… The noise was relentless. You can’t imagine the noise unless you were there.

–Clayton Chipman, 4th Marine Division West Allis, Wisconsin

From the scrapbook of Oliver J. Haessly, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin resident, who served as a photographer’s mate in the United States Navy during World War II. WVM.1023.I079.01

Istumbled into the museum field more than ten years ago as a history graduate looking for work, but I had no idea what it took to maintain and manage a professional institution. My first day on the job was an eye-opener. Administration, archives, collections, registrar, education, oral histories, leadership, and so many other departments coming together to function as a cohesive team focused on one goal: making our museum the best at what it does!

Last summer, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum had the opportunity to demonstrate to local

AT THE MUSEUM SUMMER

WISCONSIN VETERANS MUSEUM WISCONSIN VETERANS MUSEUM

students what it takes to run a museum. Our Summer Camp, When I Grow Up, I Want To Work In A Museum , was a week-long camp that brought students from sixth through eighth grades together to not only learn what it takes to run a museum, but also to assume the roles of museum leadership and create their own professional display. Each student took on the role of a department leader and each department was responsible for their aspect of an exhibit creation. The students chose the topic, exhibit design, research, and artifacts to go in the exhibit. This

‘crash course’ in a museum studies program turned into a successful week of collaboration, teamwork, and education.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is excited to offer this summer camp again in 2020. We will be offering two sessions of When I Grow Up, I Want To Work In A Museum beginning June 15th –

June 19 th, and again during the week of August 10th–August 14th. Each session runs Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. All camp activities take place at the Wisconsin

Veterans Museum and at the State Archive Preservation Facility. Registration is open and spots are limited, so if you have children, grandchildren, or just know of someone who would be interested in this opportunity, please act fast and get them signed up. See you at the Museum!

www.WisVetsMuseum.com/events

By: Erik Wright Education Specialist

OF

SOUVENIRS SERVICE

From touristy trinkets to deeply meaningful mementos, there is a story behind every souvenir. In November 2020, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum invites you to come experience the diverse histories behind the keepsakes of U.S. service members in the new exhibit Souvenirs of Service: The Things They Kept. Through 150 years’ worth of souvenirs originating from around the world, you will learn how the universal human impulse to collect leaves us with both significant and uniquely personal ways to continue to connect with veterans of every era.

By: Andrea Hoffman Collections Manager

Ira Dutton, a Janesville, Wisconsin resident at the time of the Civil War, enlisted into the 13th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment in 1861 and rose in ranks from a private to the Quartermaster of the regiment. Almost two decades after this service, he spent time at a Trappist monastery in Kentucky and joined the Secular Franciscan Order. Going by the name “Brother Joseph,” he traveled to Hawaii and spent the rest of his life on the island of Molokai, serving a leper colony located there. In 2015, a group in Hawaii began exploring the process of seeking Dutton’s canonization as a saint. WVM proudly preserves his story through papers and photographs that document both his Civil War service and his post-war life.

EVERY VETERAN IS A STORY

Roberta Wells, a Madison, Wisconsin veteran, volunteered for the US Marine Corps Reserve Women Marines in May 1943. She was one of the first female Marines sent overseas when she deployed to Hawaii. She initially recruited additional female Marines but later worked in the public affairs office. There, according to family lore, Wells was one of the first people to see the photograph of the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima as it was being developed in a dark room. WVM proudly preserves her story through her uniform, letters, and photographs that her family donated to the museum in 2005.

EVERY VETERAN IS A STORY

Mark Your Calendar

APR 10

Drink & Draw

6:00–9:00PM

No artistic experience is necessary for this fun evening of drawing and cocktails. As we talk about veteran artists, participants will sketch objects and photos from our collection. Experienced artists can join us and draw at your own pace with limited guidance.

FREE ADMISSION: INCLUDES DRINKS & SNACKS

$10 ADMISSION: INCLUDES 2-ADULT BEVERAGE TICKETS

MUSEUM MEMBERS RECEIVE 2-COMPLIMENTARY ADULT BEVERAGE TICKETS & SNACKS

MAY 1

SPRING GALLERY NIGHT

5:00–9:00PM

Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day and join us as we participate in the Spring Gallery Night 2020 presented by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA). Explore the museum and visit our temporary exhibit, IN MY SPARE MOMENTS: THE ART OF HAROLD F. SCHMITZ one last time before it closes in the fall.

APR

23 Mess Night

5:30–8:00PM

Join Shayne A. Jarosz, Director of Special Events at the Iwo Jima Association of America, Inc., as he presents, IWO JIMA, THE ICONIC BATTLE & LEGACY. When Iwo Jima was returned to the Nation of Japan in 1968, the U.S. had an agreement that the veterans or family would be able to visit the island anytime they wanted to return. 75 years after the battle the island is now completely closed and is currently called Iwo To by the Japanese. The Iwo Jima Association is the only organization authorized to travel to the island. This lecture informs the public of the battle, the legacy, and how Americans can keep the island open.

$30 Members| $ 38 Non-Members|$25 Students (w/ID)

MAY 8

SPECIAL!

Drink & Draw

6:00–9:00PM

*Program location is at Wisconsin Veterans Museum, unless otherwise specified. For detailed information visit: www.WisVetsMuseum.com/events

Spend some time with our returning guest artist, Jessie Cance, and create a still life drawing using charcoal. Focusing on items from our study collection, artists of every skill-level will explore hand blending techniques, creative line work, and tips for using a kneaded eraser to add dimension and light. Experienced artists can join the group or draw at your own pace with limited guidance.

FREE ADMISSION: INCLUDES DRINKS & SNACKS

$10 ADMISSION: INCLUDES 2-ADULT BEVERAGE TICKETS

MUSEUM MEMBERS RECEIVE 2-COMPLIMENTARY ADULT BEVERAGE TICKETS & SNACKS

FOUNDATION FROM THE

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation is teeing up to host its 16th Annual Golf Outing sponsored by WPS Health Solutions on Monday, July 13, 2020 at The Oaks Golf Course. Every year golfers from across the state join us to golf and raise funds for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Last year we raised over $34,000 for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s exhibits and programming.

Will you join us in making 2020 an even bigger success?

This year’s outing will be a four-person scramble, featuring prizes for a hole-in-one, a putting contest, and a golf ball toss. Also, participate in our prize drawing contest, with an opportunity to win a 55’ inch flatscreen television and other great gifts. Lunch will be provided and heavy hors d’oeuvres following golf. This is a great opportunity to mingle with the state’s military and veteran leaders.

Your support is crucial to sharing our veterans’ stories! The proceeds from the golf outing this year will support the Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s upcoming exhibit, Souvenirs of Service: The Things They Kept. You can help us share even more of our veterans’ stories with an additional 100,000+ people across the State and Midwest. Your continued support ensures the museum will properly honor and preserve the legacy of Wisconsin’s veterans, and share their stories with the more than 20,000 students and 90,000 visitors that enter our doors each year.

Registration opens online Monday, April 15th at: https://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/foundation/special-events/. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, call (608) 261-0536 or email Jennifer.carlson@ wvmfoundation.com.

NEW FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

ALEJANDRO ARANGO-ESCALANTE

We are delighted to announce a new addition to our Foundation Board of Directors!

GOLF OUTING 16thANNUAL GOLF OUTING

JULY 13, 2020

9 AM-5:30 PM THE OAKS GOLF COURSE

FOUR-PERSON

Ball Toss

• Prizes for hole-in-one

REGISTER BEFORE JUNE 8TH $100 INDIVIDUAL/$400 FOURSOME REGISTER AFTER JUNE 8TH $125 INDIVIDUAL/$500 FOURSOME REGISTRATION OPENS ONLINE MONDAY, APRIL 13TH To become a sponsor, contact: Jen Carlson at Jennifer.Carlson@wvmfoundation.com or call (608)261-0536

THANK YOU DONORS! A most sincere thank you to all who donated from December 2019 through end of February 2020. We cannot provide quality programming and award-winning exhibits without your help!

The Hamilton Roddis Foundation

Devitt, Linda Schmitz

Frautschi, Jerome

Kennedy, Beverly

Lewis, Joel

Wertsch, Paul

Wilkening, Albert & Patricia

American Legion Post 59

American Legion Post 151

American Legion Post 301

American Legion Post 502

AMVETS Post 51

Andersen, Danny & Linda

Angevine, James

Bonack, Donald

Boucher, Francois

Brodd, Thomas

Clarke, John

CTW Abbey Carpet & Floor

Deci, David & Diane Hart

Dillon, Ralph

Disabled American Veterans Chpt. 3

Duecker, Robert

Ely, Michael

Feldt, Mary

Fetterly, MAJ (Ret.) Roger

Flatley, Tim

Greenberg, E. Barry

Haight, James

Hand, Thomas & Charlene

Harned, Lewis

Hauttenhauer, John

Heiliger, Cheryl

IBEW Local Union 159

Icke, John & Karen

Kelly, James & Carol

Klem, Bruce

Knox, Kathleen

Kolenda, Christopher

Ladd-Whitson, Louise

Leverance, James & Jane

Lindstrand, Keith & Katherine

Majka, Andrew

Marty, Mathew

Matusinec, Francis & Rose Mary

Mulrooney, Teresa & Paul Eastwood

Northland Pines School District

Parker, James

Paulsen, Robert & Linda

Reiland, Tim & Liz Orella

Ronge, Robert & Sherri

Rowsam, Janet

Rueden, Henry

Schemenauer, Ken & Eleanor

Schrag, Beverly

Schroeder, John

Shomos Family Foundation

Stern, Charles & Sharon

Timothy B. Staats Irrevocable Trust

VFW Post 1879

VFW Post 2260

VFW Post 7694

Vietnam Veterans of America

Wartinbee, Jr., James

Weingandt, John & Marjunice

Amacker, Judith

American Legion Post 115

American Legion Post 141

American Legion Post 166

American Legion Post 167

American Legion Post 350

Anderson, Brian

Anderson, Jan

Andrews, John

Argue, Brad

Bach, Daniel

Bachmann, Richard

Barczi, Leigh

Benn, Elizabeth

Benson, Bonnie

Berens, Todd

Bezruki, Don

Bloom, Wilson

Boullion, James

Callaway, Martin & Mary

Carlson, Jennifer

Carlson, Mark

Chandler, Richard

Cohen, James

Connell, Marilyn & Russell Peloquin

Cubalchini, Bonnie

Dean, David Ely, Jessica

Evangelist, Virginia

Fels, John & Laurine

George’s Flowers

Glenn, Emily

Glenn, Herman

Good Shepherd Post 1329

Graham, William

Haag, Douglas

Haidinger, Shirley

Hall, LT COL John

Hampton, Alice

Haspl, Lee

Heiliger, Dan & Tarah

Herrling, Patricia

Hidalgo, Jorge & Andrea

Hofer, Dave & Patsy

Holmen, Dale

Hustad, William & Jackie

Isensee, Natalie

Janz, James

Jordan, James

Kadlec, Robert

Kallas, Phillip & Priscilla

Kelly, Joanne

Kind, Arn

Kinney, Dennis

Klandrud, Kevin & Ellen

Koeppen, John

Kostka, Marvin

Kraniak, John

Krueger, Cal & Susie

KWVA SE Wisconsin Chpt. 227

La Sage, Timothy

Lindeman, Roy & Dorothy

Lobeck, William

Madsen, Frederic

Mann, Robert

Martinelli, Thomas

Marx, Eric

Mc Ternan, LT COL (Ret.) George

Millane, James & Monica

Morris, Terrell

Olson, John & Marilyn

Oregon Community Bank

Osten, John

Palen, Jane

Pedersen, Paul

Pierce, Edward

Powers, Brian

Powles, John

Race, John & Rita

Radosavljevic, Julie

Ralston, Richard & Krista

Rodas, John

Roden, Robert

Sara, Charles

Schmidt, Jay Schroeder, Paul Scott, James

Scholl, Justin Gregory

Sharratt, Tom & Sharon

Smith, Gary

Smith, Ken & Linda

Speracino, Denise

Stubbe, Ray

Szymoniak, Krzysztof

Townsend, John & Maria

Van Ells, Mark

VFW Post 6709

VFW Post 10549

Waity, III, Charles Ward

Decatur, Mary Ann

Wolf, Richard & Marjorie

Zehren, Geraldine

Servicemen gathering water in Vietnam. This photo is from the Ellison Family Collection. Robert J. Ellison served as a contract combat photographer and was known for his images that captured the day to day, minute-to-minute, human experiences of the American servicemen in the Vietnam War. WVM1947.I4237