THE NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM
The National WWII Museum
The inspiration for creating The National WWII Museum can be traced to a comment made to a young New Orleans historian by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the mid-1960s, when memories of the fierce world struggle were still fresh. In a conversation with rising military historian Stephen Ambrose, the former supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force praised the Higgins landing craft and its ingenuous designer, Andrew Jackson Higgins, for making Allied victory possible in World War II. New Orleans manufacturing plants launched by the daring entrepreneur produced many thousands of the landing boats that were desperately needed to deliver soldiers and equipment to invasion beaches in the European and Pacific theaters. Before the war, America had no boats that could accomplish this feat. Eisenhower’s remark resonated through time and planted the seed of an idea for a special institution-building effort, one that continues today.
Ambrose remembered Eisenhower’s bold assertion about Higgins as he began collecting oral histories and artifacts for his book on the D-day invasion. Ambrose was dedicated to meeting the nation’s need for a lasting tribute to the military heroes and home front workers. For years, there was no encouragement from Congressional leaders that a WWII or D-day museum would ever happen in Washington, D.C. Finally, in 1990, the idea of a D-day museum in the Crescent City was born in a backyard conversation over drinks between myself and Ambrose; we were close friends and colleagues at the University of New Orleans and immediately decided we would do it. Long years were spent working to fulfill the vision in the home of Higgins Industries. At the onset, we had modest ambitions for the institution’s scale. Overcoming many fundraising obstacles and other challenges, we opened The National D-day Museum on June 6, 2000, a momentous celebration honoring thousands of WWII veterans who paraded through downtown. They were joined by hundreds of thousands of spectators. U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Tom Brokaw, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, other state and Congressional dignitaries, and nine NATO defense ministers took part. We soon discovered that the grand opening was just the beginning of a building story. Visiting WWII veterans appreciated our D-day treatments but immediately asked why other parts of the war — their WWII, in many cases — weren’t covered.
At the onset, we had modest ambitions for the institution’s scale. Overcoming many fundraising obstacles and other challenges, we opened The National D-day Museum on June 6, 2000, a momentous celebration honoring thousands of WWII veterans.