MARCH 2019

WAR POSTER DONATION

Our collection of WWI and WWII War Posters grew significantly thanks to a very special donation. Our sincere thanks to Daniel Herr of Waukesha County for donating dozens of these government war posters from his personal collection. As the grandson of a decorated WWII veteran, Mr. Herr has been collecting these posters for nearly 25 years. He hopes others can learn about and enjoy these posters that capture the spirit of a nation facing great challenges and the citizens who rallied together and sacrificed for a common goal. The War Memorial Center has already used these posters for our education programming and we’re working on plans for future public displays. In the meantime, please visit our collection on the 3rd and 4th floors of the War Memorial Center. 

HONOR ROLL STORIES

Since Meg Jones wrote about our Honor Roll Project in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, we have received an overwhelming response from the community to help gather information for each of the 3,481 names listed on our Honor Roll in Veterans Courtyard. We have learned the stories of many of these heroes, and we look forward to sharing their stories, photos, letters and military documents online. 

One of these stories we recently heard was about Margaret Seip, just one of two women listed on our Honor Roll, along with Wisconsin Army National Guard Spc. Michelle Witmer, who was killed in 2004 in Iraq.

Margaret June “Peggy” Seip, a Wauwatosa native, was one of the first female Wisconsin Civil Air Patrol members and taught instrument flying to male military pilots before entering the Women's Airforce Service Pilots program in March 1943. WASPs were recruited to fly stateside during WWII, mainly ferrying planes from factories to military bases across the country, while male pilots were called into overseas service.

More than 1,100 WASPs served during WWII; 39 of them died during their service. Seip was killed on August 30, 1943. WASPs were not granted military status until 1977, about 20 years after she had been added to the War Memorial Center Honor Roll. 

The names of our Milwaukee County war dead are listed HERE For more information on the Honor Roll project, email honor_roll@warmemorialcenter.org.

 HONOR ROLL RESEARCH & DONATION DAY

Come to the War Memorial Center on March 16, 9am-1pm to learn about our Honor Roll project.

See our Honor Roll in person, learn some of the stories we’ve uncovered – and do some work! We need help onsite with scanning/photographing WWII scrapbook pages, taking photos of the Honor Roll, transcribing information from the scrapbook scans and other sources, and researching someone on the Honor Roll. 

We are also collecting donations related to the names on our Honor Roll. These items may include photographs, letters, government documents, service medals and ribbons, and mementos. And, we are continuing to collect military items and uniforms from all service eras, regardless of whether their names are on the Honor Roll, for use in our education programs.

Drop in any time. Park in our north lot and take the elevator to the 3rd floor. Direct inquiries to honor_roll@warmemorialcenter.org.

Food will be provided courtesy of Mission BBQ.

HONOR FLIGHT BOOK CLUB WITH BEST-SELLING AUTHOR

This Saturday, Stars and Stripes Honor Flight will host its second book club event with best-selling author Adam Makos. Come to the War Memorial Center on March 9 from 10:30 to noon for a discussion of the book Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy and a Collision of Lives in World War II. The book is about WWII tank crews and the fight to liberate Cologne, Germany. Makos will participate in the discussion via Skype. This event in Memorial Hall is free and open to the public. Makos chronicles the stories of American veterans and says “a nation is judged by how it remembers its heroes.”

CHAIRMAN'S LETTER

So, how are things at the War Memorial Center? 

To fully understand the progress made at your WMC, let’s look back at the past five years. In 2013, the WMC signed a new agreement with Milwaukee County that provided us with more flexibility in directing our future. Then-Chairman of of the Board, retired U.S. Army Major General Michael Berzowski established a new leadership team and created a five-year strategic plan. The end goal: Make the War Memorial Center a national model of excellence. Building on the significant accomplishments of our predecessors the team identified the major challenges facing the WMC, envisioned exhibits that would enhance the WMC experience, and then began addressing them one at a time. The War Memorial Center is one of several tax-payer supported cultural institutions in Milwaukee County. We fully understood the financial challenges facing Milwaukee County, and we were certain that our exciting growth plans could not be funded entirely by taxpayers. So, we established a fund-raising component and hired a development director. We then began raising funds to ease the burden on the citizens of our community. Since then, our plan has come together nicely. 

Together with our partners Milwaukee County and the Milwaukee Art Museum here are some of the significant improvements we have made since signing that agreement in 2013: restored the exterior of the building; added the Ring of Honor to Veterans Courtyard that lists the names of the conflicts in which our troops have fought and died; rebuilt the external staircase (the “birdcage”); enhanced the somber Eternal Flame that features the flow of the new Healing Waters; installed a flexible all-glass east wall in Veterans Gallery that enhanced the open-air concept of the facility; rebuilt the emergency staircase; added the Gold Star Family Memorial; engraved on the Honor Roll the names of thirteen veterans who were killed in action since the Vietnam War ended; expanded Fitch Plaza by 40 feet; added lighting to the WWI Honor Roll; created the music festival VetFest; added benches for seating on the Plaza; posted the service flags in Veterans Courtyard of all five military branches; added the MacArthur statue to the campus and added the MacArthur Exhibit (thank you VCRT and Mr. Chas Mulcahy); added a new towering flag pole; created the Veterans Story Project for future generations to enjoy; established the Patriot Award that honors those who have made the most outstanding contributions to the WMC; remodeled Memorial Hall at a price of $1.4 million — with most of the heavy lifting done by generous WMC donors; introduced the Missing Man Table display to honor POW/MIAs; established an annual golf outing to help fund the exciting new POW/MIA exhibit; presented numerous guest speakers and authors addressing patriotic topics; became a featured location for Doors Open MKE; added the Ships Named Milwaukee display; restored the Lewandowski mosaic; established a highly successful education program that reached over 7,000 area students in 2018 alone; established the WMC mobile tour so you can “visit” our building through your cell phone; formed a partnership with Milwaukee County and Milwaukee Art Museum to establish the Lakefront Cultural Condominium Complex. This agreement gives the WMC even greater autonomy and is among the most significant accomplishments in its history. 

While much has been done, there is still much to do. Our board has, once again, identified the challenges of the next five years and we are already hard at work.  New plans for the inside of the building are under way and construction for a new green space and an environmentally enhanced parking lot begins in a few weeks. We look forward to strengthening our strong partnership with the citizens of Milwaukee County as we continue to develop our Cultural Center of Patriotism – your War Memorial Center. I can’t wait to see what the next five years hold for us. That 2013 goal of a national model of excellence is clearly within our grasp!    

— Peter P. Pochowski, WMC Board Chairman 

 HELP SPONSOR
VETFEST

The War Memorial Center is seeking corporate sponsors for the 4th annual VetFest on August 8. This is a free event to the public and will honor all veterans and active military. Fitch Plaza will once again be transformed into a military base camp with live music and mess hall food! Our presenting sponsor, Cargill, is back for a second year (thanks, Cargill!) and so are many of our other lead and supporting sponsors. They know this is a great way to show support for our veterans. Want to get in on the fun?
Contact Vicki Chappell, WMC Director of Development for more information.

STUDENTS AT WMC

So far in 2019, 700 students have come to the War Memorial Center for education programming, including 220 students last week alone:

-50 Marquette University High School juniors (pictured above) came to learn about and do research on our  Honor Roll. This visit included a talk by U.S. Air Force/Vietnam-era veteran Fred Thorne, who talked about his work researching and investigating people during his career in the FBI. 

-80 Cooper Elementary (Burlington) 4th graders learned about the service experience through our collection of military uniforms and equipment.

-90 Cooper Elementary (MPS) 2nd-8th graders learned about the United States military and veterans and about our Honor Roll project.

MEDAL OF HONOR DAY

March 25 is National Medal of Honor Day. The day commemorates the 3,505 Americans who have been given the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. 

Here at the War Memorial Center last fall, we were fortunate to honor local Medal of Honor recipient Gary Wetzel on the 50th anniversary of his Medal of Honor ceremony. Another local hero who was given the Medal of Honor posthumously, Lance P. Sijan, is recognized on our Honor Roll in Veterans Courtyard. Both of these heroes are featured on WMC Trading Cards which are given to students who visit the center.

SUPPORT OUR MISSION TO HONOR THE DEAD – SERVE THE LIVING