Triumph of The Spirit: The National D-Day Museum
This is not the history of World War II, but the story of what it takes to transform a nation of people into a nation of warriors. This New Orleans-based museum, opened in the year 2000, talks about war in human terms and celebrates the American spirit through the personal stories and artifacts of the American men and women who sacrificed and prevailed in an epic struggle against tyranny.
THE GREATEST SACRIFICE?
Nearly 100 million people lost their lives as a result of World War Two. “The dimension of it is so beyond comprehension so incredibly evil, such a low point of human history, it is also, in many respects, a highpoint in human history.” Martin Morgan, Research Historian
WE CAN DO IT!
The National World War Two Museum presents the human story of war.The personal accounts of the men that struggled on the beaches of Normandy. Those housewives who saved waste fats or squashed their tin cans.
THE MOST VULNERABLE MOMENT
“June 6, 1944, the date that the Normandy operation began, was called D-Day. Many think that was the only D-Day except for the guys who went ashore in Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal and North Africa, Sicily, Italy. Every invasion was a D-Day. They represent the moment of truth when you’re going ashore at your most vulnerable moment getting out of boats, under attack, under withering fire, people have just been sitting there waiting for you.” Nick Mueller, Museum President
"THE MAN WHO WON THE WAR"?
Eisenhower told museum founder Steve Ambrose in 1963 that Andrew Jackson Higgins was the man who won the war for us. Manufactured in New Orleans, the Higgins Landing Craft for Vehicles and Personnel made it possible to land 36 armed men standing in the upright position with rifles in their hands and packs on their backs in 30 seconds.
"MY DEAR LITTLE BOYS"
In one soldier’s Christmas letter to “my dear little boys,” a father struggles to explain war to his young children. He was killed shortly after the letter was sent, but he left his children a legacy of love and hope evidenced by his careful letter.