A limited-time exhibit at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum aims to show how Wisconsin veterans contributed to their community years after their military service.
The exhibit “Traditions: Stories of Service of Country & Community” is set to run until July 6. It features writing and objects from Wisconsin veterans who served from the Civil War until today.
Greg Krueger is the curator of exhibits at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. He told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that the museum is aiming to showcase objects that are rarely seen — like a pair of boots worn by a Navy chaplain at the Battle of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War.
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“Those boots are still caked with Khe Sanh mud. We actually hired a conservator to semi-permanently attach the mud to the boots,” Krueger explained. “As you can imagine, that’s a very delicate piece.”
Kruger tells WPR about some of the stories from this exhibit and why he said it’s important to explore veterans’ lives after their service in the armed forces.
The following interview was edited for clarity and brevity.
Rob Ferrett: Why is it important that we talk about the contributions of Wisconsin veterans outside of their military service?
Greg Krueger: A lot of these veterans … came home and continued to serve their communities. We have governors that were military veterans, senators, representatives.
Then there are people that are still helping out in their communities on a very local scale. They’re doing bicycle rides with funds that go to benefit veterans when they come home. It just runs the gamut with the way and depth that these people served.
RF: Let’s dig into some of these stories a little bit. Col. Lucius Fairchild served in the U.S. Civil War. Well, his public service didn’t stop then. Can you talk about what he went on to do here in Wisconsin?
GK: He was an early advocate for veterans. Wisconsin was a new state at the time. These returning veterans had a lot of needs. He himself had lost an arm, and others had had other challenges ahead of them. He basically joined this group of veterans called the GAR: The Grand Army of the Republic.
They became very politically active. They lobbied legislatures to provide funds for these people to retire and live comfortably after their service ended.
That was something that was very new at the time and was very effective. The GAR was very powerful in the late 19th and even into the early 20th century.
RF: Another veteran you highlight in the exhibit is David Zien. I knew him as state Sen. Zien when I used to book him to come on Wisconsin Public Radio. What does your exhibit tell us about his military career, his activism and support of veterans?
GK: He’s a big Harley guy, as a lot of people will probably know. He rode around the country, trying to raise awareness basically about veterans and motorcyclists’ rights.
Helmet laws were a big thing in the ‘80s and ‘90s in this state. He went on to the state Legislature from 1988 to 2006. He’s a very nice guy. He’s quite the character. You will never miss him if he rides by.
RF: What are you hoping people take away from this temporary exhibit?
GK: The contribution that these Wisconsin citizens gave to not only their country, but their state, is really incredible. They sacrificed life and limb for their country, then came home and just continued to serve. Continued to give back to their communities.
Some of the state symbols that we think of today, like “On Wisconsin,” which is now our state song, that phrase was coined by Lt. Arthur MacArthur, who led an attack of the 24th Wisconsin [Infantry regiments] with the cry “On, Wisconsin” at the Battle of Missionary Ridge in the Civil War.
Those are terms that we are familiar with today as our state motto. That was used in battle in the Civil War.
So perhaps people could walk away with just a greater sense of history. It’s one of the reasons why we call it “Traditions.” Because we sing these songs, we salute this flag, but we try to dig a little deeper. Where did that flag come from? Why was that song written?
