MADISON — A new exhibit at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum highlights the contributions of the state’s service members both during and after their time in uniform.
“Traditions: Stories of Service to Country and Community” opened to the public on Friday, giving visitors a chance to see artifacts from the American Civil War through present day.
“I hope somebody walks away with an appreciation for what Wisconsin veterans have done both in uniform but also continuing to be a part of the community, be a part of the state, after service is over,” Christopher Kolakowski, the museum’s director, said.
Many of the items on display are taken from key moments in military history and illustrate Wisconsin connections to those events. There’s the vest of Lucius Fairchild, a Union colonel who lost his arm at the Battle of Gettysburg and went on to serve as Wisconsin’s tenth governor. Visitors can see the tear where military surgeons cut away his vest to amputate Fairchild’s arm.
Another powerful piece of history tells the story of Ray Stubbe, a Navy chaplain from Wauwatosa who served in one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War. Stubbe was assigned to the Marine regiment that came under siege at the Battle of Khe Sanh.
His boots, caked in red clay from Khe Sanh, appear in the exhibit alongside a photo of Stubbe preaching to Marines on a hilltop.
“At the end of the battle when he flies back to the rear area, he takes off these boots, which are still encased with mud from Khe Sanh, never cleaned them, never wore them again, and then later donated them to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. So, when you see these boots, you are literally seeing the mud of Khe Sanh still on them,” Kolakowski said.
Stubbe went on to record the stories of the Marines who served at Khe Sanh after the war ended and even authored books on the conflict.
Other artifacts highlight the contributions of female veterans and the famed service of Old Abe, Wisconsin’s war eagle.
“Traditions: Stories of Service to Country and Community” is on display in Madison through July 6.
