Cantigny's 'Date With History' to highlight the stories of World War II
The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park announces two virtual events in its acclaimed "Date with History" series, viewable online via Zoom. Both programs are free but require advance registration at FDMuseum.org.
• "The Forgotten African Americans of World War II: The Fight for Freedom at Home and Abroad" will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. Author Linda Hervieux discusses the unsung role African-American soldiers played in World War II. It is not a new story. Black soldiers contributed to every war extending all the way back to the founding of our country, even as they were denied basic rights of liberty and citizenship. Theirs is a record of heroism and bravery that remains unrecognized today.
Hervieux is an American writer, journalist and photographer based in Paris. Her book, "Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War," chronicles the story of the only Black combat unit and their brutal journey through segregated Jim Crow America, to freedom in Great Britain and, ultimately, to the beaches of France.
• "Ernie Pyle and the 1st Infantry Division in North Africa" will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10. Author David Chrisinger examines America's earliest days of involvement in World War II in 1943, informed by the "in the trenches" reporting of Ernie Pyle. The legendary war correspondent was embedded with the 1st Infantry Division in North Africa - work that later earned him a Pulitzer Prize.
Chrisinger is the author of the forthcoming book about Pyle's wartime experiences, "The Unhappy Warrior: Ernie Pyle and the Story of the Second World War." He is a contributing writer for The New York Times, directs the writing program at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, and teaches memoir writing to military veterans and their families.
The First Division Museum is currently open Wednesday through Sunday by reservation only. Morning and afternoon entry sessions are available. To register and for more information, visit FDMuseum.org.
Museum admission is free. Parking at Cantigny is $5.
The First Division Museum, part of Robert R. McCormick Foundations, promotes public learning about America's military heritage and affairs through the history of the "Big Red One" - the famed 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. The museum's main exhibit hall, First in War, transports visitors to the trenches of World War I, the beaches of World War II and the jungles of Vietnam. Outside, tanks are displayed from every era, along with artillery pieces and a personnel carrier. The Robert R. McCormick Research Center, open to the public, houses the museum's library, archival and photo collections. For more information, visit FDMuseum.org.