All Stories

Even in the midst of the hardship and suffering of war, soldiers have always sought respite from battle through reminiscence of loved ones at home, following sports teams, thoughts of female companionship, humor, and comfort from those caring for their wounds. These efforts to take personal and psychological refuge from war found broad expression in the stone carvings left by soldiers on all sides.

The horror and loss of life in war has always been an impetus for solders to examine and embrace their religious faith. Throughout the underground cities are carvings of explicit religious icons, depictions of soldiers expressing their faiths, and carved out chapels and altars used to conduct formal religious services.

When the soldiers of Europe marched off to war in the late summer of 1914, most expected an adventure that would last mere weeks or months. By the end, in November 1918, millions had been consumed by four years of grinding, mechanized warfare. Casualties, military and civilian, numbered nearly 38 million—more than 17 million dead and 20 million wounded. The psychological and emotional toll was incalculable. Some of the stone carvings capture the enormity of the catastrophe.  

The First World War was a profound turning point in history. The world of 1914 was a very different place from the one that emerged after four years of relentless global war involving millions of combatants and imposing hardship on countless civilians, from those whose towns and villages were on the front lines, to those distant from the battlefield.

The Fighting 69th explores the story of the American Expeditionary Force’s arrival in France in World War I. 

The U.S. Navy’s WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) were a notable legacy of World War II’s influence on the evolving gender norms of the later 20th century.

With its dramatic aerial combat scenes and heroic and tragic pilot figures, The Dawn Patrol is the father of all military aviation films. 

Wings is among the most important films ever made and set the standard for all aviation films.

After decades of unsuccessful attempts to gain access, the public is now finally able to review the President’s Daily Briefs (PDBs) from the Kennedy through Ford administrations. The collection was released in 2015 and 2016 and sheds lights on the intelligence and analysis the presidents received at the time. They are posted on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) website and are available to anyone to read. 

Curator Laurence Burke took a step back and explored the long and complicated history that led up to the Japanese attack.