Superior, Wisconsin
507-392-7151
bongcenter.org
The Bong Center is a museum that honors the legacy and tells the story of Richard I Bong, America's "Ace of Aces." Major Bong rose to fame during the peak of the fighting in the South Pacific during World War II by emerging as the leading aerial ace eventually breaking the American record of 26 set by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker in WWI. Upon breaking the record Bong honored his sweetheart and eventual wife, Marge Vattendahl by having here portrait embossed on the nose of his P-38 Lightning fighter plane. Bong went on to score 40 victories being the only American Ace in history to reach that number that kicked in his automatic "retirement" from combat air warfare. Just a few months later, after a wedding that captivated the nation, Bong tragically died in a test piloting accident flying the Army Air Corp's first Jet fighter.
Our museum tells his story and that of all veterans.
meet our newest narm members
Edith J. Carrier Arboretum
Harrisonburg, Virginia
540-568-3194
www.jmu.edu/arboretum
The Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, a woodland sanctuary, on the James Madison University campus, is a public, urban garden and forested greenspace that preserves native species, provides opportunities for research, and promotes knowledge of the botanical and natural world for people of all races, religions, orientations, identities, ages, and abilities.
Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center