Thanksgiving is considered by many to be the quintessential American holiday.  As Thanksgiving 1918 approached, American had more reason than the usual to give thanks.  On November 11, 1918, Germany signed the armistice that brought World War I to an effective end.  In the wake of that event, the United States made an attempt to [...]

During World War II, many American military personnel, primarily aircrew, found themselves trapped behind enemy lines.  The MIS-X Section of the Captured Personnel and Material Branch of the Army’s Military Intelligence Service handled matters dealing with escape and evasion (E&E) out of hostile areas and intelligence operations relating to Allied prisoners of war.  E&E training [...]

Today’s post is written by Erin Townsend, an archivist based out of Archives II who helps coordinate our digitization projects.   This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Peace Corps.  Numerous events and activities have already taken place to commemorate this milestone, including programs at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, 50th [...]