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Wars & Conflicts

Explore the timeline of American wars and conflicts including the French and Indian War, the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the American Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War.

Explore the timeline of American wars and conflicts from the American Revolutionary War to current global conflicts.

National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day (April 9)

This day honors those veterans who have served their country while being held captive in enemy territory. The day also honors the family of the prisoners of war and their long and anxious wait to see their family again. Visit the collection.

Content Type
 Longstreet, James Peter | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

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Longstreet, James Peter | South Carolina Public Radio
“L” is for Longstreet, James Peter [1821-1904]. Soldier. Born in Edgefield District, Longstreet spent his formative years in Georgia and Alabama. After graduating from West Point, he had a successful...
The Enemy in Our Own Backyard!

Lesson

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The Enemy in Our Own Backyard!

For many rural counties, the only exposure to the infamous Nazis was from newspapers, newsreels, and other war time propaganda which portrayed these soldiers as arrogant, deceitful, and even evil...

Why Study History - Return to Normandy

Lesson

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Why Study History - Return to Normandy

With an understanding of the importance of the D-Day invasion to the people of France, and to the world in helping end the tyranny of fascism and the oppression of Hitler’s Nazi regime, answer the...

 A Time to Fight, Part 5 5

Video

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A Time to Fight, Part 5
Episode 5
The story of the Doolittle Raiders is told, including.that of Bill Farrow, one of three top students in a nationwide search of colleges and universities, chosen to receive pilot's training at...
 A Time to Fight, Part 4 4

Video

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A Time to Fight, Part 4
Episode 4
In June of 1940, Camp Jackson became a permanent military installation and its name was changed to Fort Jackson. Individuals recall various aspects of the training they received there and the...
 A Time to Fight, Part 1 1

Video

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A Time to Fight, Part 1
Episode 1
This episode follows our veterans from their childhoods to the attack on Pearl Harbor and following through to the first battles of the war in North Africa, Italy and Sicily. Additional sections...
 The Way Home, Part 6 6

Video

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The Way Home, Part 6
Episode 6
Veterans provide advice to future generations, and reflect on the responsibilities that come with freedom, and their wishes for a world without war. They remember those who didn't survive, and they...
 The Way Home, Part 5 5

Video

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The Way Home, Part 5
Episode 5
On August 11, 1945, the Emperor of Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration, which specified the unconditional surrender of Japan. The war was over, the Americans rejoiced, and the troops headed home...
 The Way Home, Part 3 3

Video

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The Way Home, Part 3
Episode 3
Okinawa was the final Japanese island before the mainland. It would be the largest amphibious invasion in history. The Americans had to control the air and the water. The orders came that the...
 The Way Home, Part 4 4

Video

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The Way Home, Part 4
Episode 4
Our veterans discuss the era in which the atomic bomb was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their recollections of this time..
 The Way Home, Part 2 2

Video

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The Way Home, Part 2
Episode 2
With its navy destroyed, the Japanese have come to recognize that their last line of defense is through suicide attacks on American ships. From the American ships, the kamikazes looked like a swarm of...
 The Way Home, Part 1 1

Video

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The Way Home, Part 1
Episode 1
This segment focuses on the racial discrimination that existed during World War II and how it affected those who served their country. The military was segregated. There were African Americans from...
 The Island War, Part 4 4

Video

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The Island War, Part 4
Episode 4
As U.S. troops captured island after island, Japan felt the war slipping away. At Leyte Gulf, Japan lost its navy. In the Philippines, it lost its footing. MacArthur captured the world stage and the...
 The Island War, Part 3 3

Video

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The Island War, Part 3
Episode 3
Veterans recall Leyte Island in the Philippines and describe their experiences there in detail. They also provide reflections on the starving Philippine children, as well as adults, and they recall...
 The Island War, Part 6 6

Video

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The Island War, Part 6
Episode 6
One of our veterans recalls the bombing of Iwo Jima, and going below to his quarters to get a little sleep. He opened his Bible and it fell open to the 91st Psalm, which he reads. Our veterans discuss...
 The Island War, Part 5 5

Video

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The Island War, Part 5
Episode 5
With Japan's navy in ruins, America unleashed its air forces. Our veterans describe their experiences, their training, and the aircraft they flew.
 The Island War, Part 1 1

Video

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The Island War, Part 1
Episode 1
Veterans recall the brutality of war with the Japanese, their allegiance to their emperor, the tropical heat, the jungle, the danger of the rocky reefs, and the threat of malaria, for which they took...
The Island War, Part 4 - The Return | South Carolinians in WW II
   - Episode 4 The Island War, Part 2 2

Video

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The Island War, Part 2
Episode 2
Women discuss serving in the WAVES, the SPARS, the WACS, the WAFS, and the WASPS. All the services needed women during this period. Our women veterans remember many of the details of their service...
 The Rising Sun, Part 4 4

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 4
Episode 4
Fritz Hamer, military historian, explains that Japan was an industrial power, but it needed the resources to maintain it. Japan's purpose was to nullify the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, then destroy the...
 The Rising Sun, Part 5 5

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 5
Episode 5
Midway Island was a U.S. outpost located about a thousand miles west of Hawaii. Prior to World War II, it was basically a weather station with some U.S. Naval groups on it to protect it. The Japanese...
 The Rising Sun, Part 7 7

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 7
Episode 7
The island of Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, was the major offensive area for the Japanese, in order to control Australia and the South Pacific. Veterans and historians reflect on...
 The Rising Sun, Part 6 6

Video

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The Rising Sun, Part 6
Episode 6
Veterans recall what life onboard a Navy ship was like, including being bored, being seasick, how crowded they were, the schedule, poker and Monopoly, gambling, learning to drink, including some...