New Exhibit at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library
“There we were watching New York’s skyline diminish, and wondering if we’d be heroes or corpses,” Harry S. Truman later recalled as he departed New York for the battlefields of France in the spring of 1918. Truman returned a hero, and his service helped set him on the path to the presidency.
“‘Heroes or Corpses’: Captain Truman in World War I” tells the captivating story of Tr uman’s service in the Great War through never-before-exhibited photographs, personal letters and more than 40 artifacts from Truman’s personal World W ar I collection. http://www.trumanlibraryinstitute. org/library-museum/museum-exhibits/temporary-exhibits/
View the l oving cup that members of Battery D purchased for Captain Truman with money they pooled together following the war. See Truman’s tack box that was pai nted over with the new title “Captain Harry S. Truman” when he was promoted from lieutenant to captain. Read some of the more than 100 letters that Ca ptain Truman sent to his fiancée Bess while stationed overseas.
World War I helped transform Harry Truman into the man who would one day become one of the most respected presidents in our nation’s history, and this year only, visitors can view this fascinating story in depth at the Truman Libr ary.
Upon entry in the National Guard, Truman was put in command of B attery D of the 129th Field Artillery, 35th Division, an unruly bunch that grew to respect him as he proved his leadership skills.
Throughout th eir service together, Captain Truman managed not to lose a single man, even though Battery D braved the largest action in American military history at that point — the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
Commemorate the centennial of America’s involvement and Truman’s service in World War I, and view thi s story of leadership and triumph on display this year only at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.
This exhibition is made possible thanks t o the generous support received from members and friends of the Truman Libr ary Institute.
The Truman Library would also like to thank the family of Corporal Eugene Donnelly, Marny and John Sherman, for generously underw riting the preservation of Harry Truman’s WWI collection.
The exhibit ion runs March 10 to December 31, 2018, and entry is included in museum adm ission and free for Truman Library Institute members.
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