On this week 90 years ago: The Consolidated PBY Catalina flew for the very first time on March 21, 1935!![]()
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An icon of WWII, the PBY was the ultimate patrol and rescue flying boat—tracking U-boats, saving lives, and covering vast oceans with unmatched endurance.![]()
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One of those heroes, PBY-5A BuNo 2459, flew in the Battle of the Atlantic, scored 3.5 U-Boat victories, and survived. Now, it’s under restoration to flying condition in Florida and will eventually be displayed at the American Heritage Museum. Read more at: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/aircrafts/consolidated-pby-catalina/![]()
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#OTD #PBYCatalina #WWIIHistory #FlyingBoat #MilitaryAviation #AmericanHeritageMuseum
Here is this week’s challenge for “What is it Wednesday?” - a close up of something in the museum or our collection for you to guess what it is in the comments!![]()
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What is it?! We are looking for what it might be part of within the museum and, for more of a challenge, what the exact part is and what it does! Answer in the comments below and tune-in for the answer next Tuesday at 10:00am EST!![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #historymuseum #visitma
Today, March 25th, is National Medal of Honor Day. In honor of this, we would like to take the opportunity to honor MoH recipient Colonel John Riley “Killer” Kane. “Killer” Kane was a B-24 Liberator pilot who led the 98th Bomb Group in Operation Tidal Wave; a large-scale bombing raid on German run oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania on Aug. 1st, 1943. Thanks to the generous donation of Mr. Curtis Burton, we have the honor and privilege of displaying Col. Kane’s Medal of Honor here at the American Heritage Museum as part of our Italian Campaign gallery. ![]()
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You can read more about Col. John “Killer” Kane at: bit.ly/4iVKYaq![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #medalofhonor #moh #usaaf #ploesti #operationtidalwave #wwii #wwiihistory #worldwarii #worldwar2 #b24liberator
Today is Rosie the Riveter Day, honoring the iconic symbol of female empowerment during WWII. Rosie represented the millions of women who entered industrial jobs, proving their strength and capability. Despite facing discrimination, they paved the way for workplace rights and gender equality. Rosie’s legacy lives on in today’s fight for equal pay, representation, and opportunity—reminding us: “We Can Do It!”![]()
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Read our full article about today's importance at: bit.ly/4hDJaly![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #rosietheriveter #rosietheriveterday #celebratewomen #womenshistorymonth #inspiringwomentoday #worldwarii #wwii #arsenalofdemocracy
One of the goals of the American Heritage Museum is to encourage our visitors to learn about the veterans in your own family and reflect on the experiences they went through during their service. When we first started, our focus was on our World War II veteran community, but sadly, many of our WWII veterans are no longer with us and many family members only learned about their service after their passing. Think of the WWII veteran that was in your life... family or friend. What is the one question you'd ask them today if they were still with us? Such questions may inspire others who have veterans in their life to ask the same and keep their stories alive. ![]()
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Please share your questions in the comments. ![]()
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Photo of WWII B-24 pilot Frank Tedesco (1921-2020), 451st BG and friend of the Collings Foundation via Emily Clark - Wicked Local (2013)![]()
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#WWII #veterans #WWIIveteran #veteranlife #AmericanHeritageMuseum
- This event has passed.
Speaker Series: 11B10-Memories of a Light Weapons Infantryman in Vietnam. By author John Magnarelli
February 17, 2023 @ 2:00 pm, ending 3:00 pm
$10 – $20
Mr. Magnarelli will talk about his experiences as a young soldier in the Vietnam War and the processes he went through in writing his captivating book.
11B10 is a memoir on what Army life was like from boot camp through combat through the eyes of a young man just out of high school. Without glorification or exaggeration it reflects the experience of the author’s time in the service specifically his year as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. It is written in a way that veterans will relate, but also for non-veterans to understand what veterans went through. It is an emotional journey sprinkled with some necessary humor and even has the words from actual letters that were written home.
About the author:
John Magnarelli grew up in North Quincy, MA and was drafted into the Army on August 12, 1968. After his tour of duty in the Army he went on to receive a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Suffolk University in Boston. He had a 36 year career with the US Department of Agriculture, and for his last 27 years was the Regional Director overseeing the National School Lunch Program and nine other feeding programs for the six New England States and the state of New York. In addition to his professional career he was a high school football referee for 46 years, elected to two terms to the Duxbury, MA school committee and for the last 10 years has been the Adjutant General for the Duxbury American Legion Post 223. John and his wife Pam now reside in Plymouth. MA.
