Adventure of a Lifetime: Visiting the National WWII Museum
Dateline: May 27, 2025
After spending months working on Jack’s Story, John reached out to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans to share what he had—his father’s wartime letters, photographs, and the Silver Star he was awarded during the Battle of the Bulge. Chase Tomlin, one of the curators, said they were interested in discussing a donation of these items.
After the book was published in November, he reconnected with the museum. We wanted to make the donation in person and were looking forward to planning a visit.
As the new year began, we were introduced to Derrick Strassburg, one of the museum’s senior fundraising leaders, through John’s sister’s longtime friend, Sara Blackburn. Sara had been in discussion with Derrick about her father’s collection of photographs from World War II.
We began to plan a trip around Memorial Day to visit both Chase and Derrick at the museum—an experience we’ll never forget. We’re looking forward to telling you the story about our visit.
Arrival in New Orleans
Fayetteville, home of Fort Bragg, is just 45 minutes from us—and we love flying out of there. It’s one of those rare airports where it’s barely 100 large steps (maybe 110 if you’re carrying a suitcase and a coffee) from the parking lot to check-in. You can practically wave at TSA from your car.
We left early that morning and landed in New Orleans by 8:45 a.m. Planning to drop off our bags and find breakfast, we were thrilled to find our hotel room ready. After a short rest, we set off on foot for the museum, just a 15-minute walk away. The weather was perfect.
Derrick had arranged our credentials and tickets for the visit, and we were instructed to pick them up at the Will Call desk inside the museum. Chase planned to meet us there for our 1:00 p.m. appointment.
We grabbed lunch at the museum’s on-site restaurant, The American Sector, and enjoyed fried Gulf oysters and a fresh salad. It was a relaxing and delicious way to ease into the day.
A Museum with Roots and Heart
Before our trip, we thought we had a pretty good sense of what the National WWII Museum would be like, big exhibits, lots of history, probably some tanks. But once we learned how it came to be, the story pulled us in just as much as the exhibits.
It all started back in the early 1990s with Stephen Ambrose, the same historian who worked on Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Along with his colleague, University of New Orleans professor Nick Mueller, Ambrose believed the world needed a place to preserve and honor the American experience in World War II. So they got to work.
When the museum finally opened in 2000; on the 56th anniversary of D-Day, it wasn’t just a collection of artifacts. It was built on sacred ground. The land they chose was once home to the Higgins Industries boatyard, where Andrew Higgins designed the shallow-draft “Eureka” boats. These workhorses of the war would evolve into the LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel), better known as the Higgins boats, that landed soldiers on the beaches of Normandy and countless other shores. Janice’s father commanded them in the Pacific as a Coast Guard officer.
In 2006, Congress officially named it America’s National WWII Museum. Today, it stretches across six acres and seven pavilions, each one filled with the sounds, stories, and sacrifices of a generation. But what struck us most was that it still carries the heart of that original vision: to make history personal, and to make sure it never gets forgotten.
Conversation with the Curator
Our meeting with Chase Tomlin wasn’t your typical museum visit—it felt like sitting down with a thoughtful historian who just happened to be the guardian of thousands of untold stories. As an Associate Curator at the National WWII Museum, Chase is responsible for evaluating donations, shaping exhibits, and ensuring that the artifacts entrusted to the museum are preserved with care and meaning.
Chase is in his early 30s, part of a new generation of historians who don’t just study the past — they bring it to life. Earning a master’s degree in history is often a labor of love with no clear career path, so the opportunity to work at one of the most respected museums in the country isn’t just a job for him — it’s a calling. And it shows in everything he does.
But Chase is more than just a curator. He’s a storyteller. On his LinkedIn profile, he writes that he’s passionate about making history “accessible and enjoyable for the general public,” and it shows. Whether he’s developing exhibits like Go for Broke Spirit: Legacy in Portraits, honoring Japanese American WWII veterans, or writing insightful essays for the museum’s blog, Chase brings a rare combination of scholarship and heart to his work.
We met in a quiet conference room, where he walked us through the museum’s archival process. The museum receives nearly 4,000 unsolicited packages each year. Of those, only about 400 make it into the permanent archives. It’s a sobering statistic, and it made what came next even more meaningful.
When Chase told us that the museum has only 250 items related to the 7th Armored Division—100 of which came from just one donor—we were stunned. For such a pivotal unit, that number seemed impossibly low.
We unpacked John’s father’s materials—original wartime letters, photographs, his discharge paperwork, and his Silver Star citation. Chase examined each one with quiet focus, asking questions, taking notes. In the end, about 98 percent of what we brought was accepted for intake. The only items returned were duplicates or copies.
Then Chase gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the intake process, guiding us through the staging area where materials wait to be cataloged. It’s not a quick path. It can take two to three years before an item is fully processed and made available to researchers. But what struck us wasn’t the wait time—it was the respect. Every artifact, every envelope, every faded photograph is treated with dignity.
John was deeply moved. This was more than an archival visit. It was a moment of recognition. A lifetime of family memory was now part of the nation’s memory.
The Tank and the Curator
As we left the archives, Chase offered to show us something special. “Want to see the Sherman?” he said, with a grin.
Of course we did!
We followed him to one of the museum’s central halls, where a fully restored Sherman tank stood like a silent sentinel. This was the very type of tank John’s father had commanded during the war. For John, it wasn’t just a display—it was a direct connection to his dad’s footsteps.
And here’s something we didn’t expect: Chase is one of only two people at the museum trained to drive the Sherman. Yes, really. When the tank needs to be repositioned for events or maintenance, Chase is the one behind the wheel. He shared a few stories—what it feels like to sit in that cramped driver’s seat, how the gears respond, how people react when they hear it rumble through the museum floor.
It was history come alive. Not just the kind you read in a book, but the kind you can hear and feel and almost smell.
We stood there for a while, taking it all in. The tank. The museum. The moment. And Chase, this thoughtful young curator with a gift for storytelling, had brought us there.
Beyond All Boundaries: A Film You Feel in Your Bones
After visiting the archives and the Sherman tank, we headed into the Solomon Victory Theater. Derrick had shared how powerful Beyond All Boundaries was—how it encapsulated the emotion and energy of the National WWII Museum. We arrived eager to see what this Tom Hanks production was all about. It’s fair to say we didn’t walk out the same people.
This isn’t just a documentary. It’s a full-sensory experience. Produced by Tom Hanks and brought to life by a team of more than 500 historians, technicians, and designers, this 30-minute 4D film uses layered screens, stage effects, motion, and even falling snow to place you right in the middle of World War II. From the home front to the beaches of Normandy, from Iwo Jima to the Battle of the Bulge, the story unfolds with emotional power and historical depth.
At one point, a 1940s-era radio rises from the stage to deliver the chilling news of Pearl Harbor. Seats rumble with tank fire. Planes roar past your ears. The bitter cold of a European winter brushes your skin. Then, the voices of American soldiers and journalists—read by a cast including Gary Sinise, Viola Davis, Neil Patrick Harris, and Kevin Bacon—bring the war’s staggering cost into focus: more than 70 million lives lost.
What struck us most was how the film didn’t shy away from the darkness. It honors the courage and sacrifice, but it also confronts the horror—Jewish concentration camps, firebombed cities, the grim price of global conflict. It’s patriotic, yes, but it’s also sobering and reverent.
“A magnificent and moving spectacle… exploding onto the oversized screen… stirring and inspiring.”
— The Times-Picayune
No wonder the museum is so proud of this experience. It’s not just a highlight. It’s a heart punch—a visceral reminder of why these stories matter.
Behind the Scenes
After the film, we met Derrick Strassburg, who took us behind the scenes to the museum’s research and editorial offices. We first visited an area where they design exhibits, followed by the research library. This library houses every book ever written about World War II. While books cannot be checked out, they are available for on-site study. The librarian showed us the area where Jack’s Story would be placed.
We then visited the Jenny Craig Pavilion, home to the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. Jenny Craig was a major donor, inspired by her brothers who served in WWII.
We met Rebecca Poole, a historical research specialist who writes short books on WWII service members, including one about Tom Hanks’s father. She shared her impressions of Jack’s Story, which the museum is accepting despite its self-published status.
PT-305 and a Piece of History
Next, we toured PT-305, a fully restored patrol torpedo boat housed in the Kushner Restoration Pavilion. Originally built by Higgins Industries in New Orleans, the boat had been sold after the war, shortened by 13 feet, and used for fishing off the New Jersey coast.
A museum volunteer rescued original Higgins blueprints from a dumpster—a discovery that made the restoration possible. Karen Kersting, a volunteer who helped with the restoration, told us the story. She personally painted the boat’s interior and exterior three times and has written about the project.
Winding Down at Kilroy’s
We ended the day with drinks at Kilroy’s Lounge in the Higgins Hotel. As kids, we remembered drawing the Kilroy figure without knowing its origin. Now it came full circle.
During World War II, “Kilroy was here” became a humorous symbol of American troops’ presence. The doodle—featuring a bald-headed man peeking over a wall with a long nose—was found scrawled in unexpected places across Europe and the Pacific. No one knows exactly who started it, but Kilroy became an unofficial mascot of the GIs, often marking a place as “visited” by U.S. troops.
We reflected on everything with Derrick and Jeremy Collins, the museum’s Senior Director of Programs. Janice shared her experiences in the computer industry and her desire to write about them. Jeremy suggested she read Hedy’s Folly by Richard Rhodes—a story about actress Hedy Lamarr and her involvement in early technology that led to Wi-Fi. It’s a story we plan to write about later.
Then it was off to dinner at Pêche Seafood Grill—a perfect ending to a remarkable day.
