American soldiers in the Meuse Valley in the summer or fall of 1918.
Much of the carnage of World War I resulted from the failure of the
leadership on both sides to a) avoid the war in the first place, and
b) adjust their strategy and tactics in response to new technology,
especially the machine gun. American entry into the war brought a
much-needed influx of men, materials, and ideas. (Photo Courtesy of
the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center)
and artifacts. The collection includes the personal papers of
hundreds of Army generals, including Benjamin O. Davis (the first
African-American general in the U.S.), William Westmoreland,
Matthew Ridgway, and Omar Bradley. The collection also includes
military manuals dating back to the Revolution, and dozens of
newspaper and magazine titles. The collection is open to the
public, though students under 16 must be accompanied by an
adult. Many award-winning NHD students have researched their
projects at USAHEC, including the 2013 National Champions in the
For those unable to travel, USAHEC has an online catalog
Bad leadership has a profound impact on a soldier’s experience.
Writing about the Philipine Insurrection, John D. LaWall had this to
say about his experience: “The story of my Company’s hardships at
[Novaliches] forms one of the blackest pages in the history of the 27th.
Cursed with some of the vilest company officers who ever disgraced a
regiment, forced to eat food unfit for a dog and to work continually in
the boiling sun, our eight months’ stay in this pest-hole was marked by
a dreary record of sickness and suffering.” (Photo Courtesy of the U.S.
Army Heritage and Education Center)
services through the Research-for-Hire service. Visit
Official military records are kept at the National Archives. The
Annapolis, and McDermott Library at the U.S. Air Force
the following locations:
Junior Group and Senior Group Exhibit categories.
and an extensive digital collection, which can be found
at www.usahec.org. For materials that are not digitized,
the Army Heritage Center Foundation can provide copy
www.armyheritage.org for information.
The Jefferson Library at West Point, the Nimitz Library at
Academy in Colorado Springs also house significant collections
of primary and secondary materials related to military history
and leadership. Students can browse and search their catalogs
online. All three libraries provide access to members of the
public on a limited basis, so call or email for information
before making travel plans. In the event you are unable to
make arrangements to travel to the libraries, the staff may be
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able to assist you in obtaining copies of materials for a fee.
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015
Archives’ central repository is in Washington, D.C., with an
adjunct facility at the University of Maryland at College Park.
The National Archives also maintains 12 regional facilities at
• Anchorage, Alaska, Pacific Alaska Region
• Atlanta, Georgia, Southeast Region
• Boston, Massachusetts, Northeast Region
• Chicago, Illinois, Great Lakes Region
• Denver, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Region
• Fort Worth, Texas, Southwest Region