You are cordially invited to attend the Naval Historical Foundation’s Annual Members Meeting and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new “The Battle Behind Bars” exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy’s Cold War Gallery. The exhibit honors the sacrifices of Prisoners of War in the Vietnam War and celebrates the success many experienced
Last month, a truly unique piece of history found a new home in the collection of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The 48 star battle ensign of the destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE 413) was transferred from a private collection to the Material Section at NHHC. For those who aren’t familiar
Last month, the Naval Historical Foundation was the recipient of a generous donation of approximately 400 books from CNA. The donation was arranged by Captain Peter Swartz, USN (Ret), analyst at CNA, and a loyal member and supporter of the Foundation. Museum Store Manager Frank Arre went down to the CNA office located in Alexandria,
By Andre Sobocinski, Historian, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery When the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) R4D broke through the clouds of volcanic dust and smoke to land on Iwo Jima on March 6, 1945, it carried more than whole blood and medical supplies for the wounded. On board this flight was a
By Norman Polmar (Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series of blogs by Norman Polmar, author, analyst, and consultant specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence fields. Follow the full series here.) A telephone call in early March 1974 from one of my consulting customers in the Navy Department alerted me to a
On Thursday, 2 May 2013, Naval Historical Foundation Executive Director Captain Todd Creekman, USN (Ret), his wife Debbie, and Digital Historian Dave Colamaria had the pleasure of attending the annual Society of Sponsors of the United States Navy luncheon. The event was held at the Westwood Country Club in Vienna. The featured speaker was former
The emotions captured by the War of 1812: patriotic fervor, anxiety, the immediacy of the moment, the joy of peace… all and more abound in In Their Own Words. Whether encouraging peers, issuing orders to subordinates, lamenting a hero’s death or reporting a glorious frigate action, these emotions spring from the stirring contemporary letters,
By Zach Kopin The Naval Historical Foundation recently acquired an 1878-vintage historical document, and generously donated it to the Naval History and Heritage Command’s rare book and document collection in the Navy Department Library. This document, a letter addressing the nineteenth century debate between staff officers and line officers, completes a pair, as the staff
Last night, the US Navy Museum hosted a special panel presentation entitled “An Underwater Ice Station Zebra: Recovering a Secret Spy Satellite Capsule from 16,400 ft Below the Pacific Ocean” The subject for the evening was the once classified 1972 mission to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Early that year, a film capsule from
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the return of American Prisoners of War held by the North Vietnamese. Many of the POWs were naval aviators, and the Naval Historical Foundation, in conjunction with the National Museum of the United States Navy, is working on a number of initiatives to remember the long ordeal endured
With the Covert Submarine Operations exhibit in the National Museum of the U.S. Navy’s Cold War Gallery serving as a backdrop, a large crowd filled the Gallery’s North Hall on the evening of 11 April 2013 (coinciding with the Submarine Force’s 113th Birthday) to witness and participate in a program titled “Seawolf and The Maritime
On Sunday, April 7th, the Naval Historical Foundation (NHF) hosted a festive event aboard the USS Midway Museum in beautiful San Diego harbor. Over 40 members and friends of the Foundation gathered on the historic aircraft carrier to catch up with old friends and learn more about the latest developments at the Foundation. Guests were
Guest Speaker: The Honorable Robert O. Work Former Undersecretary of the Navy If you have already received an email confirmation on your registration, please do not register again 71st Battle of Midway Commemorative Dinner Tuesday 4 June 2013 Army Navy Country Club, Arlington, VA Cost to attend is $65 per person Reception Begins 1800 Dinner at
In the minutes of the 1948 annual meeting of the Naval Historical Foundation that detailed a post-World War II fundraising campaign led by NHF President Fleet Admiral Ernest King for a naval museum that would open in downtown Washington in May 1950, the secretary wrote: No member of the Foundation, new or old, will need
By Norman Polmar (Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series of blogs by Norman Polmar, author, analyst, and consultant specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence fields. Follow the full series here.) While in high school I became interested in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. As I
