From Deseret News archives:
World War II exhibit's poignant
Artifacts offer insight into the American war experience
"Remembering World War II: Pearl Harbor and Beyond," commemorates the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack and the United States' war involvement.
Documents, letters from children and sweethearts of servicemen and photographs, along with other artifacts, offer insights into the American experience of the war, said Robert Freeman, a member of the BYU church history faculty and director of the "Saints at War" oral history project.
The exhibit is a natural outgrowth of the history project because so many veterans had artifacts from the war, he said.
Among the memorabilia is the Medal of Honor awarded posthumously to Capt. Mervyn Bennion of the battleship USS West Virginia that sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is one of 15 awarded for bravery that day, Freeman said. Most were posthumous.
Though mortally wounded from shrapnel that flew from the nearby USS Tennessee, Bennion (of Vernon, Tooele County) continued to bark orders for several hours and refused treatment when others required it. When the bombing stopped, a rescue effort was launched to get Bennion, but the smoke and fire was too intense, Freeman said.
Other items include:
A serviceman's Book of Mormon.
LDS sacrament trays with spent shell casings for cups used by soldiers in battle.
The picture and story of the Sardini Chapel LDS servicemen built in Italy and used for only five months in 1944.
A variety of period military uniforms including a nurse's uniform.
A Nazi banner and copy of "Mein Kampf," along with photos of gaunt prisoners held during the Holocaust.
A U.S. flag created near the end of the war by Clarence Bramley, a survivor of the Bataan Death March.
An American flag made by a group of nuns also hangs in the exhibit. When a proper flag wasn't available to fly over a German cemetery the first Memorial Day following victory in Europe, Army Chaplain Charles "Harry" Washburn commissioned the flag. The blue came from a nun's habit, the stars from muslin sheets and the red stripes from a Nazi banner. (The nuns objected to the latter, but went ahead anyway, according to display information.)
Comments
- Jazz go up against 'the best' 10:51 p.m.
- Red Devils dismantle another team 10:51 p.m.
- Heath care reform advocates rally 10:50 p.m.
- Texas AG attends polygamist's trial 10:49 p.m.
- Terror suspect bridged 2 worlds 10:48 p.m.
- Group lauds charter school laws 10:46 p.m.
- Hot Rod behind mic for Lakers 10:44 p.m.
- Utah County offering H1N1 vaccine 10:44 p.m.
- Study: Porn hurt mind, body, heart 10:43 p.m.
- Pioneers slip past Springville 10:43 p.m.
- BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
- Yet again, we learn BCS is a big joke
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day
- Cougars in better mood about bowl
- Williams' late jumper tops Spurs
- Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
- Ranking the bowl games
- $2M error could mean layoffs
- Witness: Mitchell stalked victims
- Expert calls Mitchell delusional
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
278 - Letters: Global warming a lie
212 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
205 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
162 - Cougars going back to Vegas
147 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
143 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
119 - Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
108 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
101 - Harpring's NBA career is over
99
For the latest news in the health care debate and how it affects you...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Joyce Gannon offers the following advice...
are in love with the let em gain cobwebs on the bench. Then let them play 3...
Isn't it great that no matter the rankings nor the rantings, it all plays out...
Syracuse 102 Davis 40 let's see most of the game played by JV players. Who's...
Face it: you can never legitimately call someone the "national champion" if...
Like the money grubbing BCS conferences and bowls, your only concern is $$$....
BYU fans are the most defensive fans you'll ever come across. Instead of...
This legislation is not even about health care. This is about expansion of...
What a beautiful photograph! Kudos to Chen Wang.
Yeah, Right!!!!!!
I believe the crux of Golding's argument is that Mitchell delusionally...


You can be the first to comment on this story.