On the Web – Soldier Tourists Series

In a time when most young people had never traveled beyond the towns they were born in — much less abroad — World War II sent the youth of America to exotic locations around the globe. Many of the servicemen and women took advantage of down-time between fighting and the post-war occupation to see the sights and experience cultures that would have been so foreign to them.

The National WWII Museum’s collection contains a number of scrapbooks, images, letters home and souvenirs from these “soldier tourists.” This ongoing series of featured artifacts will share those life-changing experiences.

View the series here.