The story of the Atlantic Wall’s arrival in New Orleans came full circle this week when we were contacted by WWII vet, R. Randolph “Randy” Richmond Jr. He had read about the wall segments that arrived at the Museum on July 23, a gift from the Utah Beach Museum, and generously offered to pay for all of the shipping costs. He visited the Museum this week to write an initial check and see the pieces for the first time in 67 years. Richmond had first seen the fortifications when he came ashore at Utah Beach a month after D-Day. In an interview with the New Orleans newspaper the Times-Picayune, he said they “brought back memories.” He added “I thought they were higher.”
With the 70th anniversary of the “date that will live in infamy” on the horizon, we came across this graphic interpretation of one of our nation’s darkest days. See this and other pivotal moments in U.S. history depicted at momentusproject.com and let us know what events you think should or shouldn’t have made their list.
This week the Museum received a very unusual gift from the Utah Beach Museum – three large pieces of concrete totaling nearly 22 tons. During WWII, they made up a part of the of the German defenses known as the Atlantic Wall.
Completed in 1944, the Atlantic Wall was a series of fortifications Hitler ordered built to guard Europe’s west coast from Allied assault. Made up of mines, pillboxes, tank traps and the infamous “Rommel’s asparagus,” the Atlantic Wall stretched more than 3,200 miles, presenting a formidable obstacle for the Allied troops charged with executing the D-Day invasion.
These particular pieces were donated to the Museum to make way for a significant expansion of the Utah Beach Museum. Currently, you can see two of the three wall segments on the grounds of the Museum outside the Solomon Victory Theater.
Joe Morris, Sr., decorated Navajo Code Talker, was born April 19, 1926, on the Navajo Nation Reservation at Indian Wells, Arizona. His family had no electricity and he received very little formal education. Morris worked on the family farm tending sheep and horses. He jokingly likened his great grandfather to a drill sergeant, ordering him up early to work and telling him that washing up in the snow would make him stronger. Morris was 17 and working in an ore mine when he was drafted (he had lied about his age on the draft card to get a job). Trained at the Navajo Communications School at Camp Pendleton, he spent two years in the Pacific with the 6th Marine Division 22nd Regiment as a code talker making stops in Guam, the Guadalcanal, Saipan, Okinawa and Tinstao, China until he was discharged as a corporal in 1946.
Morris passed away July 17, 2011 at the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, in Loma Linda, California.
Posted by interactive content and community manager Kacey Hill
A radio disguised in a suitcase, clandestine parachute drops and a one-legged female spy sound like the basic elements for a blockbuster WWII espionage film or bestselling suspense novel. But the story of the suitcase radio and spy Virginia Hall is all part of the true story of wartime top-secret communications.
Find out more about the Museum’s suitcase radio, which would have been used by British agents of the Special Operations Executive, and the heroic actions of Virginia Hall.
Staff Sergeant James A. Liccione, Sr. enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1939, serving his country in World War II in the Aleutians and in the Central and Southern Pacific Theaters. He saw combat throughout the war but it was his role in the battles for Attu and Kiska that remained with him. So much so, that he never spoke about the war. But his son Alex was determined to learn his ailing father’s story. Shortly before he passed away, he told his son about his wartime experiences. The close-knit Liccione family was determined to not only honor their father’s memory but also the often-overshadowed Aleutian campaign by posting a Personal Page on the Museum’s website.
Establishing a personal page is easy. It allows you to share information about yourself, create personalized albums about your veteran, share his or her story and show how it has influenced your life and create a support network for the Museum.
We got this letter from Al Lopinot of Litchfield, IL after he visited the Museum in May 2011:
Enclosed is a copy of a newspaper story I did on my visit with my son to your museum May 24 and 15, 2011 that I thought you might be interested in. I did this because I wanted WWII veterans to know about your great museum as well as other persons that might be interested. I had a great experience there and would recommend it to anyone. Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Alvin (Al) C. Lopinot, phM1/c
U.S. Navy served in the South Pacific
Battle of Okinawa and liberation of the Philippines
For those of you following the 68-year journey of our PT-boat, PT-305, from Higgins Industries in New Orleans to the Mediterranean in WWII and back to New Orleans again via the Puget sound and scores of other stops, find out more about her service in the war and see updates on the ongoing restoration. PT-305 is now the first project to call the Museum’s newest building, the John E. Kushner Restoration Pavilion, home.
The new National WWII Museum blog will feature info on Museum programs and exhibits, tidbits from our vast collection of artifacts and oral histories, updates on how WWII is still relevant to us today and more. Visit us often and don’t forget to like the Museum on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
In the meantime, help us name our blog and win The Pacific prize package – including the DVD set, a signed copy of The Pacific the book and other goodies. The winner will be announced on August 15, 2011 – VJ-Day!
