HAIH at the U.S. Army War College, Part 2

Summary

History As It Happens: HAIH at the U.S. Army War College, Part 2

Released on June 20, 2025

---

Introduction and Setting

In this special episode of History As It Happens, host Martin Di Caro brings listeners on an immersive journey to the U.S. Army War College and Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, the episode features insightful conversations with Kate LeMay, Director of the Heritage and Education Center, and Molly Bompaine, the exhibit curator responsible for the new groundbreaking display.

Celebrating the U.S. Army's 250th Anniversary

The episode opens with a heartfelt celebration of the U.S. Army's 250th birthday. Martin Di Caro sets the tone by acknowledging the significance of this milestone:

"Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you. Why are we doing this?" [01:33]

Kate LeMay and Molly Bompaine join Martin to delve into the Army's rich history, emphasizing the interplay between military evolution and American history.

Unveiling the New 18th-Century Tavern Exhibit

A highlight of the episode is the introduction of the new exhibit—a meticulously crafted 18th-century tavern. Martin expresses his admiration for the exhibit:

"I didn't know this stuff was up here. It is amazing. So congratulations." [02:33]

Molly Bompaine explains the inspiration behind the tavern:

"We wanted to take our audience and visitors on a journey... bringing them into the thirteen colonies... the courage it took to stand up an army." [02:57]

The tavern serves as a portal to the Revolutionary War era, depicting the environment where pivotal conversations and decisions occurred. The authentic recreation, inspired by the Wayside Tavern in Sudbury, Massachusetts, offers visitors an immersive experience:

"It was built in four months... it's a beautiful, immersive space." [05:05]

The Revolutionary War: A Civil War Within

The discussion shifts to the complexities of the Revolutionary War, highlighting the internal conflicts among the colonists. Kate LeMay emphasizes the era's division:

"Historians are arguing right now though, that it was a civil war in its own kind of sense." [09:24]

Molly Bompaine concurs, drawing parallels between the Revolutionary War and America's later civil conflicts:

"It's not like the American Civil War, but had elements of a civil war." [09:41]

The conversation underscores the personal struggles and societal tensions that influenced the formation of the U.S. Army.

Artifacts and Archives: Bridging Past and Present

The Heritage and Education Center boasts a vast collection of artifacts that narrate the Army's history. Kate LeMay highlights the importance of personal documents:

"We have a lot of papers of influential veterans... through a biographical lens." [04:38]

A notable artifact discussed is the Charleville musket, symbolizing international alliances and military advancements:

"The Charleville musket was produced in the Saint Etienne arsenal in France... our allies played into the creation of our army." [10:21]

Another significant piece is the 1785 Springfield musket, representing the Army's move towards self-sufficiency in arms manufacturing:

"When you can arm yourself and have interchangeable parts, it correlates to independence." [12:04]

The Art of Curating History

Martin explores the intricate process of curating exhibits with Kate LeMay:

"How do you decide what goes in an exhibit?" [15:52]

Kate explains that curators prioritize objects that best tell the desired narrative, ensuring each artifact contributes meaningfully to the story:

"The objects are the ones that punctuate the story... we're here to say, hey, this object did this, this, this." [16:56]

Molly Bompaine adds that selecting items is a collaborative effort, often reflecting personal connections and departmental insights:

"We brought in our entire staff... picked one object that resonated with them." [18:30]

Humanizing Military History

A poignant moment in the episode is the discussion of personal items that reflect soldiers' daily lives and emotional experiences. Kate shares a family story through telegrams about a soldier missing in action:

"One of our colleagues found the telegrams... it follows the timeline of his great uncle who was missing in action." [21:51]

Molly adds emotional depth to this narrative:

"When I was framing that one, I started crying... what the family goes through." [22:59]

These stories emphasize the human aspect of military history, showcasing the profound personal sacrifices and emotional toll of war.

Exhibit Highlights and Visitor Experience

The episode details various objects featured in the exhibit, such as the P38 can opener and the "woobi" poncho liner, which resonate with modern soldiers while connecting them to historical counterparts:

"The P38 can opener... shows the functionality... soldiers would identify with it." [19:33]

"A poncho liner... any soldier from Vietnam through current operations knows that." [20:27]

Martin Di Caro commends the exhibit for its ability to make history relatable and engaging:

"If you're a history nut, this is a great place to visit... learn something about being in the United States." [21:12]

Recognition and Visitor Information

Kate LeMay proudly mentions the museum's accolades and visitor statistics:

"Newsweek's Reader's Choice named us one of the top 10 free museums in the nation." [23:37]

"Pre-pandemic, almost 200,000 visitors annually." [23:48]

The conversation encourages listeners to visit Carlisle, Pennsylvania, highlighting the museum's educational value and its strategic location near other historical sites like Gettysburg.

Conclusion and Call to Action

As the episode wraps up, Martin invites listeners to engage further with the museum through social media and newsletters:

"History as It Happens is on Facebook and my newsletter can be found @historyasithappens.com." [25:04]

He also extends an invitation to experience the museum firsthand, reinforcing its role as a premier destination for understanding the intertwined histories of the U.S. Army and the nation.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "We wanted to take our audience and visitors on a journey..." — Molly Bompaine [02:57]
• "The objects are the ones that punctuate the story..." — Kate LeMay [16:56]
• "When you can arm yourself and have interchangeable parts, it correlates to independence." — Kate LeMay [12:04]
• "One of our colleagues found the telegrams... it follows the timeline of his great uncle who was missing in action." — Kate LeMay [21:51]

---

Visit and Explore More

For those inspired by this episode, a visit to the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center offers a tangible connection to the past. Explore the detailed exhibits, engage with personal stories, and gain a deeper appreciation of how the U.S. Army has shaped and been shaped by American history.

Connect with History As It Happens on Facebook and subscribe to the newsletter at historyasithappens.com for more enriching historical narratives.

Transcript

[Martin DiCaro]

I say this every election cycle, and I'll say it again. The 2024 political field was intense, so don't get left behind in 2025. If you're running for office, the first thing on your to do list should be securing your name on the web with the your name vote domain from GoDaddy.com you'll stand out and make your mark. Don't wait. Get yours today.

This is a special episode of history as it happens on location at the US Army War College and Heritage and Education center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with Kate LeMay and Molly Bompaine. Our conversation next.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

History is defined by the names that stand the test of time. Names that inspire, unite, and lead. Now it's your turn to create a lasting legacy with a dot vote domain. Whether you're running for office, driving change, or rallying support a do. The dot vote domain ensures your name is as memorable as those in the history books. Visit GoDaddy.com, type in your name, dot vote and secure a web address that stands out. Claim your place in history with dot vote.

[Martin DiCaro]

Hello, everyone. We continue our podcast this week on location in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. And happy birthday number 250. US Army. Can we sing a quick Happy birthday before I introduce you?

[Kate LeMay]

Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you. Why are we doing this?

[Martin DiCaro]

Birthday, dear Army 250 years. Yes, I am at the Army War College and Heritage and Education center from Root hall here at Carlisle barracks. Kate Clark LeMay is back with me. She is the director of the Heritage and Education center running the archives, library, the museum. Hello again, Kate.

[Kate LeMay]

Hi, Martin. Thanks for having me.

[Martin DiCaro]

Yeah. I never knew you were such a great singer. Vocalist?

[Kate LeMay]

Oh, God.

[Martin DiCaro]

And our new guest, Molly Bompain. She is the curator who put together a marvelous new exhibit. Everyone should come and visit here marking the Army's birth in 1775, two and a half centuries ago. Hello, Molly.

[Molly Bompain]

Hi, Martin. Great to be here.

[Martin DiCaro]

I've had so much fun with you today in just the brief time we've had together. You're walking me around this exhibit and some of the other stuff that you have in your museum. I said this to Kate earlier. I didn't know this stuff was up here. It is amazing. So congratulations.

[Molly Bompain]

Thank you.

[Martin DiCaro]

And let's talk about this new exhibit. Why did you build an 18th century tavern? We're talking two and a half centuries of history for the US Army. You decided to build a tavern?

[Molly Bompain]

We did. Well, we wanted to take our audience and visitors on a journey. Many are approaching the 250th of the Army's birthday and taking them through the rev War timeline and the battles.

[Martin DiCaro]

Revolutionary war.

[Molly Bompain]

Sorry, Revolutionary war timeline. We wanted to back it up a bit to the time before the army was stood up so we could bring them into the thirteen colonies. That feeling of what conversations were taking place, the courage it took to stand up an army. What they must have been feeling when they had to separate from Great Britain. And, you know, just, like the tension, but the.

[Martin DiCaro]

The uncertainty.

[Molly Bompain]

Yeah. The uncertain cause. If it went south, it's treason.

[Martin DiCaro]

The urgency of the moment.

[Molly Bompain]

Exactly.

[Martin DiCaro]

These are not professional soldiers.

[Molly Bompain]

Right. It's all these militias. And so these conversations are taking place in taverns across the colonies. It's kind of a timeless tavern just to get people thinking about what it took to stand up an army. And that's why we decided to take in that direction and then really built a beautiful, immersive space by way of background.

[Martin DiCaro]

You've been doing curating for the army for a long time, right?

[Molly Bompain]

Yeah. Almost 20 years in December, right?

[Martin DiCaro]

Yeah. I mean, the army itself records its own. The archives of documents. Kate, you were telling me about all the documents. It's an army that fights wars, but it also has this wing, if you will, that's dedicated to preserving its past.

[Kate LeMay]

Yeah. And at the army heritage and education center, we pride ourselves because we are the premier archive of the United States Army. We have a lot of papers of influential veterans, soldiers of the army, not just general officers or the chief of the staff of the army, but also junior officers and enlisted officers that tells the history of the United States, but through an army perspective and through their service. It's through a biographical lens, which I really, really love, because you get that humanity, that element of the personal.

[Martin DiCaro]

Yeah. I want to return to the feeling I got when I was in that tavern that you created. You built it by hand, right?

[Molly Bompain]

We did. We are fortunate. We're maybe the last remaining museum within the army that has its own fabrication capability, and certainly we're the most significant in size. On the exhibit team that I. We have two curators and four fabricators. And when I say fabricators, I really mean master craftsmen. They can do everything and anything.

[Martin DiCaro]

It's remarkable.

[Molly Bompain]

Oh, they amaze me every time. And that was just. And that was built in four months, what you saw. Yeah.

[Martin DiCaro]

I mean, if a restaurant owner wanted to say, you know, I want to open a theme restaurant, 18th Century Tavern, he would. Or she would come here to take a look at what you built in there. You know, we're on a podcast here. People can't see what we're talking about. I will share photos and videos, History as it happens.com on Facebook. Just search for History as it happens. My Twitter, Martindicaro. You can see all the. The great stuff that's going on here.

[Kate LeMay]

I was going to say, Molly, you did some research about a tavern that actually exists, Right? Massachusetts.

[Martin DiCaro]

Let's talk about the actual thing. No, no, that's all right. You can host the podcast if you'd like.

[Kate LeMay]

I didn't know if you were going to get there, I think, Molly.

[Martin DiCaro]

No.

[Kate LeMay]

So let's.

[Martin DiCaro]

Let's talk about the tavern itself. It's dimly lit as candlelight, Right? So it is modeled after a real place.

[Molly Bompain]

It is. We looked at a bunch of different taverns, and it was the Wayside Tavern in Sudbury. And I'm a native of Massachusetts, actually, from Lexington. So I grew up with Revolutionary War history around me. The one in Sudbury I liked because that's where Longfellow wrote Paul Revere's Ride. I know. So it has this nice literary connection. It just had a nice look and feel. I was in one of the antique malls downtown here in Carlisle, and I found a book. I was looking at Colonial architecture and design, and they had actual schematics for that task in the book. So we used that for the bar and some of the furnishings. And then the gentleman on the team ran with it.

[Martin DiCaro]

I did notice one inaccuracy, though. Air conditioning. Okay. There was no air conditioning in the 18th century. And I walk into this beautiful exhibit, and you don't want to make the visitors suffer, but, you know, taverns in those days, I could just imagine what they were like. Smelly and. Right. Everything.

[Molly Bompain]

Well, I think you noticed, too, because you said there's no.

[Martin DiCaro]

There's no beer.

[Molly Bompain]

There's no beer. And that's a comment we've gotten before.

[Martin DiCaro]

You don't need visitors getting hammered. No.

[Molly Bompain]

Right.

[Kate LeMay]

Welcome to the E. As I said.

[Martin DiCaro]

At the top here, there's so many different ways you can approach, and you have a lot of. It's not just the tavern. You have a whole museum and other artifacts and materials about the Army's history here, too. We talk about some of those as well when it comes to the tavern. And we talk about the Revolutionary War and our founding fathers. You really wanted to place the focus on ordinary people, right?

[Molly Bompain]

Yes.

[Martin DiCaro]

Why?

[Molly Bompain]

They're the ones that formed our first army. You know, here we have ordinary citizens and, you know, all banding together and then meeting the need. It's still woven through army history today. You know, and that's really why we wanted to highlight that, like this commonplace place is a thread through everyone's experience.

[Martin DiCaro]

The decisions people in every generation make. Should I go fight for my country or not? Or do I believe in this cause? I mean, what were. Kate LeMay, the historian here, what were soldiers taught? I mean, you go through the archives, you've read letters, right. Of soldiers in World War II riding back home. Sure. What were soldiers talking about?

[Kate LeMay]

Well, during the Revolutionary era, I think they were like Molly said, they were debating whether or not they'd be tried for treason. And they felt like the circumstances were so unfair and they were being treated like these second class citizens, that they needed to stand up for their rights, to stand up for themselves. But the debates of how to do that, how to get there, it was like a civil war. Rick Atkinson has said that it was like a civil war because people were fighting against each other and their beliefs. And really it was not an easy decision. There's a lot of passion behind these decisions.

[Martin DiCaro]

Molly, you wanted to jump in.

[Molly Bompain]

Well, and Kate nailed it. Because, you know, a lot of people when we talk about a house divided, they think of a America's civil war. But the, you know, between the loyalists and the colonists, like that divide and you know, you think of the family members on different sides of, you know, of that debate where their loyalty lies and like what kind of tension and angst that caused in the colonies and like it just. God, what a time to be alive.

[Kate LeMay]

Think about like Benedict Arnold, you know, he was pro independence until he was mistreated. And then of course, we know him as the great traitor.

[Martin DiCaro]

Yeah. A name synonymous with treason for all time. No, Loyalists receive very treatment.

[Kate LeMay]

Exactly.

[Martin DiCaro]

Especially after the war, a lot of them left. There was a book by Maya Jasanoff, Liberty's Exiles, talks about how former Loyalists were no longer. They didn't want to stay. They weren't welcome in a lot of places. Society, I think, healed, but not for everyone. It wasn't a civil war, but had elements of a civil war. In any society, there's a healing process, a reconciliation process, bad blood.

[Kate LeMay]

I think historians are arguing right now though, that it was a civil war in its own kind of sense. How you would describe the American Civil war of the 19th century, they think it's the same for the 18th century.

[Martin DiCaro]

Yeah, I know Alan Taylor's done a lot of work on this as well, talking about a civil war within the Revolutionary War. Molly. Yeah.

[Molly Bompain]

Oh, no, I agree. And I think when you add the element of Great Britain, so this Outside force may be the differentiating factor, but there's a lot for our audience to take in and start considering these things. Celebrating such a significant milestone in army history, and then this tie of army history is American history and how those two are just intertwined. And for a lot of people, they think it's, you know, it's two separate.

[Martin DiCaro]

Things, but, you know, the army's older than the nation state.

[Kate LeMay]

And speaking of great power competition, to reference our previous podcast, one of the things that came to my attention about the Revolutionary War was through an object that we have in our collection. The musket.

[Molly Bompain]

Oh, yeah.

[Kate LeMay]

Can we talk about the musket?

[Molly Bompain]

The French musket? Yeah. The Charleville musket. Yeah.

[Martin DiCaro]

I mean, the French and the British were fighting a world war, global war. So. Go ahead, Bob.

[Molly Bompain]

And the charleville musket is really interesting because getting aid from our allies and France was our ally, and that's where the collection really sings to us, because. Or speaks to us. We have the Charleville musket. It was produced in the Saint Etienne arsenal in France, and that. And then we have all the different ordinance manuals, the infantry manuals, and different languages that we received from different countries as we were building this army. So you start to see this evidence of creation of an army, and all of our allies played into it how.

[Martin DiCaro]

Because there's no industry. We weren't manufacturing that many weapons on our own.

[Molly Bompain]

Actually.

[Kate LeMay]

We were in Carlisle Barracks.

[Martin DiCaro]

Oh, wow.

[Kate LeMay]

Very fun. Right.

[Martin DiCaro]

In the Revolutionary War.

[Kate LeMay]

In the Revolutionary War, Carlisle Barracks actually had a foundry. And in the exhibition, we have this incredibly huge bellows. This is not a handheld thing that you point at the fire and sort.

[Martin DiCaro]

Of, for millennials and younger who don't know what a bellows is.

[Kate LeMay]

It's a bellows.

[Martin DiCaro]

It's something you blow on a fire to.

[Kate LeMay]

It's like a large. I don't know, a bellows can or something.

[Molly Bompain]

A wind bag.

[Kate LeMay]

It's a wind bag.

[Molly Bompain]

It's a large wind bag, yes.

[Martin DiCaro]

So anyway, it's a large wind bag.

[Kate LeMay]

It's from the revolutionary era. It has 1775 carved, and it was from Carlisle. And the way that they were making weapons at that time was through the foundry that was here in Carlisle.

[Martin DiCaro]

Wow. But at the same time, getting rifles from all different countries.

[Molly Bompain]

Right, right. And our arms collection speaks to this. Like, we have the 1785 Springfield musket, and that came out of the Springfield Armory. And that was. That was really one of the linchpins of us forging our own firearms. And that's when we really truly, in my opinion, one of the things that correlates to independence, you know, when you.

[Martin DiCaro]

Can arm yourself and have interchangeable parts.

[Kate LeMay]

Yeah. Special Forces trains at our Arm Heritage and Education center, because we have all those different arms.

[Martin DiCaro]

That's great.

[Kate LeMay]

And you never know what they're going to need to use on the field somewhere, you know, other.

[Martin DiCaro]

I wish this place was closer to where I live so I could visit it more often, because. No, this stuff is really fascinating. If you're. If you're a history nut, this is a great place to visit the infantry ranks in the Continental army, trying to get this army off the ground. These are just yeoman farmers, blacksmiths. Right, Right. So the ideas of the Enlightenment, the ideas of the American Revolution, the idea of a society built on fundamental human equality as written in the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson. Right. We know that certain Enlightenment philosophy that's not maybe audible at the level of a yeoman farmer in the late 18th century, but it still seems like you're saying they understood, though, that this war was for their rights.

[Kate LeMay]

What they understood, too, is that. And this is enlightenment, this comes out of the Enlightenment, is that an individual can make a difference. It's not the collective. An individual can make those decisions to participate.

[Molly Bompain]

Something that has entered a consciousness and then becomes a movement, you know, and then becomes like the.

[Kate LeMay]

It became the movement through the taverns.

[Molly Bompain]

Yes.

[Kate LeMay]

That's bringing it back to your tavern.

[Molly Bompain]

Yes.

[Martin DiCaro]

When does ideas and attitudes. How do they coalesce into a revolution?

[Molly Bompain]

Right. Well. And you know, the panel that we were looking at, Martin, there's a quote on it.

[Martin DiCaro]

Don't mean. Forget it.

[Molly Bompain]

Okay.

[Martin DiCaro]

Don't get it. Exactly Right.

[Molly Bompain]

Okay. It's between Jefferson and Adams. And the reason I put it on there, because it was in letters between each other. They talked about this had been brewing a decade before the first blood was spilled at Lexington.

[Martin DiCaro]

It's always hard to know when you're gonna pass the point of no return. And then it does happen. It's like a dam explodes, and then there's no going back. But it's hard to take that leap. Right. Who wants to stick their neck out if other people aren't gonna stick their neck out with them?

[Molly Bompain]

Right.

[Kate LeMay]

You know, if you stick your neck out for the wrong purpose or the.

[Martin DiCaro]

Wrong calling or if you lose a.

[Kate LeMay]

Traitor, how do you.

[Martin DiCaro]

Molly, as a curator, how do you try to demystify or maybe de. Heroicize the past in your.

[Molly Bompain]

I think one of the things. And this is something Kate has Brought to us to simplify our narrative. It can be profound thoughts, but not overcrowd it and overwhelm people with too many things at once, but leave them with big thoughts. We get into the details. We'll talk more about that when we get into the objects, but really keep it at a higher level where they can consider a time, a place, they.

[Martin DiCaro]

Can relate to it if they were there themselves.

[Molly Bompain]

Exactly. And kind of give them the space to do that without overwhelming them with text and pictures. There's time, place for that.

[Martin DiCaro]

When I walked into the tavern, it was nice that there were only two placards to read. Kate knows I read every placard because I did with her Smithsonian exhibits. I was there, like, forever reading all.

[Kate LeMay]

This stuff that was a book on the wall.

[Molly Bompain]

To get to the gallery, you come through our permanent gallery, which is Soldier Experience. And that's a very dense, dense exhibit and purposely dense. And it's layered. There's biography, but there's a timeline. So by the time our visitors hit this gallery, we wanted to kind of calm things down and give them some space to be rest, exhale, to be ready to. Exactly.

[Martin DiCaro]

One of you or both of you made the point before that. This is the history of the United States 250 years. And United States has been at war for most of those years. And, you know, we think of overseas wars more recently, but the United States was fighting Indian tribes for a large part of first hundred years of its existence. So. Yeah. Molly, I want you to think while I ask Kate a question. I want you to think of some of the objects. We don't have time for all of them, but think of some of them that you want to talk about here. And again, I will try to pair this with some photos on social media. So I'm going to ask Kate this question. How do you. You have so much to work with here.

[Kate LeMay]

Yeah.

[Martin DiCaro]

How do you decide what goes in an exhibit?

[Kate LeMay]

Yeah.

[Martin DiCaro]

And what stays out? Is it just, oh, we only have so much room. But that makes it even harder in a way, Right?

[Kate LeMay]

Yeah, for sure. Well, you know, when you're a curator or in my position, the director, kind of having a vision, we think about the story that we want to tell, and then we see if the objects we have in the collection are able to do that. The objects are the ones that punctuate the story. That is the narrative's lead, if you will. You have to think about the object first and what it can allow you to say. And one of the tricky parts of curating is you don't want to speak for the object. You want to tell the object's history. You want to tell how it was made or who made it and under what circumstances, who paid for it, those kinds of things. And that way, the visitor can glean from the object some nuanced interpretation. But we're not here to interpret history in the sense of telling people what to think. We're here to say, hey, this object did this, this, this. And then you line up the objects one by one, and that will tell your narrative. Does that make sense?

[Martin DiCaro]

Yes, it does. You know, I'm trying to relate as a. As an audio person, using audio to tell stories. You want to show with audio, Right? Show in an oral sense. Show, not tell. If the audio you have can tell a story, you don't then have to talk a lot.

[Kate LeMay]

Yes.

[Martin DiCaro]

Right. You know, it's like watching a movie with a narrator. Well, why does this narrator keep interrupting here? I can see the movie. I can see what's going on.

[Kate LeMay]

And we have. Molly and I have training. Right. We're art historians. Molly has an incredible amount of practical experience. I do as well. So this is easy for us, but I recognize it's not like second nature for most people, Right?

[Martin DiCaro]

No. And I hope visitors appreciate that, how much effort and how difficult this is. It's a form of expression. It's a different way of writing a book, if you will. Right. Instead, you're putting objects up and also.

[Kate LeMay]

Writing the plaques, and that's why it's created. So I actually got a lot of creative room for thinking when I was at the Smithsonian, and I definitely want to pay that forward to my team, because you need that time. You are creative. You know, you have this story arc for your podcasts, so you have to really think that through. Well, Martin knows that I'm a big fan of Martin, so. But it's always good to remind you of that.

[Martin DiCaro]

Oh, Kate, if you keep saying these nice things about me, I'm gonna start wondering about your sanity here. No, no kidding.

[Kate LeMay]

Molly can attest. I'm mostly sane.

[Martin DiCaro]

Yeah. So, Molly, let's talk about a couple of the objects that. Cause we talked about the Tavern to show people or make them relate or feel what it may have been like to be a person in the 18th century who's sitting there with his buddy and they're having a pint of ale and reading the pamphlets about the latest outrage from Great Britain or whatever.

[Molly Bompain]

Well, the interesting thing, how we curated the exhibit, we brought in our entire staff, and then the leadership here at the United States Army War College. And we asked everybody to pick one object or item that resonated with them. And through that organically happened this beautiful timeline of army history. And really something for everyone. So it's their story about what resonates with them. It's shown through the different departments so people get an understanding not only of these objects, but the different departments and professions go into maintaining a history organization. What it takes and why it's important. Boy, was it interesting. We had toilet paper roll the toilet. Okay, so there's the toilet. Goebbels. Yeah.

[Kate LeMay]

How do you say it?

[Martin DiCaro]

Joseph Goebbels. Yeah, Goebbel, the Nazi propaganda minister.

[Molly Bompain]

So it was. And it was.

[Martin DiCaro]

So some American GI collectors.

[Molly Bompain]

Yes, yes. And that was selected by our head of collections department, Greg Statler. That speaks to our collection. What soldiers, you know, their material culture, what they wear, what they collect, all is a part of the collection that we have here.

[Martin DiCaro]

It's like a can opener for.

[Molly Bompain]

So yeah, P38 can opener. That was Dwayne from our library division. And he loves it. Cause he still uses it. And it just shows the functionality. Any soldier would identify with it because.

[Kate LeMay]

They didn't have anything like that. They had canned goods, but they didn't have anything to open them with.

[Molly Bompain]

Yeah. To our listeners, our millennials, that may not. It looks smaller than a razor blade and it's very odd looking, but you can open a can with it. I think it comes in the MREs and that resonates with all soldiers. Kind of like. Another thing we have, Martin, is what soldiers would call a woobi, which is a poncho liner.

[Martin DiCaro]

I know you saw my eyebrows.

[Molly Bompain]

I saw the eyebrows. Right?

[Kate LeMay]

Oh, oh, b. Yeah.

[Molly Bompain]

Oh, y. Which is another name for a kid's blanket, but it's a poncho liner. Any soldier from Vietnam through current operations knows that. And that was picked by our registrar, Mike, and Kate has one.

[Kate LeMay]

My brother gave it to me. It's like the warmest thing in the world. I love it.

[Martin DiCaro]

So this object, it made me think of something I just asked you about, about demystifying or de. Heroicizing the life of a soldier. There's lots of courage and determination and I tend not to use the word hero because it's overused in our culture. It was often a very miserable, especially in the 18th century, how miserable this was to be a soldier.

[Molly Bompain]

And we've.

[Martin DiCaro]

Life was tough, period. So it's not just being a soldier.

[Kate LeMay]

And then they weren't clothed well and they, you know, they didn't have the Appropriate things to be out in valley forage during the winter disease.

[Martin DiCaro]

Right. Yeah. So that's what the objects that you showed me there made me think of that also another thing, we picture the army, we think of the infantry. Right. Most people in the army are not fighting on the front line. It's mechanics, engineers, you've got your quartermasters.

[Molly Bompain]

You'Ve got the cooks, you've got. We try to show different, we call them moss, the specialties kind of the jobs that soldiers have, you know, different vantage points for a couple different reasons. Because we want our veterans that come in, I want everybody to kind of see themselves somewhere, but also show our visitors that the army is complex.

[Martin DiCaro]

One of the most fascinating, mind bending facts about US victory in the Second World War was the logistical marvel and industrial marvel that it was to keep that army fed and fueled in Europe and in the Pacific was just. Every time I read about it, I just can't believe that they actually did it.

[Kate LeMay]

Can I add something to.

[Martin DiCaro]

Yes, of course. This is a podcast. You can talk about anyone.

[Kate LeMay]

Well, I just wanted to, because it occurred to me after Mali's beautiful brainstorm and idea to have the staff choose something from our collection to put in this exhibition. It showcases federal workers.

[Molly Bompain]

Yes.

[Kate LeMay]

Why we are passionate about our jobs, how important our jobs are to us. We are all on the federal pay scale and the leadership, of course, is active military. So we work with active military. But one of the things that I think is important about this exhibition is that again, it shows the humanity of history. Why do we care about history? Well, one of our colleagues found in the collections the telegrams from the US government to his great aunt about the missing in action great uncle. There's six different telegrams that basically follow the timeline of this uncle who was fighting in World War II, how he was missing in action, presumed dead. No, he's a prisoner of war. Sort of follows this very difficult reality that the family must have gone through with each telegram.

[Martin DiCaro]

Oh, it's wrenching. There's no Facebook, there's no nothing. There's no way to keep in touch with people except the written.

[Kate LeMay]

And he chose that. That is his family.

[Molly Bompain]

When I was framing that one, I started crying. Maybe it was everything getting to me. And then you think about like just what the family goes through. A couple of our selections really speak to the family experience.

[Martin DiCaro]

So we'll wrap up with this then. On that, on that note, people need to know that this is not just the Army War College. There is a heritage and education center here. There's an Archive and a museum. As I mentioned to Kate earlier this week, embarrassed to say it yet again, I did not know there was a museum here. Your museum is ranked somewhere like one of the best.

[Kate LeMay]

We're one of the. Newsweek's Reader's Choice named the United States Army Heritage and Education center one of the top 10 free museums in the nation. Just this year, in 2025, do you.

[Martin DiCaro]

Know how many people roughly come here every year?

[Kate LeMay]

Pre pandemic, almost 200,000. That's good. Post pandemic, we are fighting to get those numbers. So in that sense, as the director, I'm really grateful to you, Martin, because you're helping us get the word back out that, hey, we're here. We have this awesome facility. It's great for families. You'll learn something about being in the United States.

[Martin DiCaro]

Yeah, I mean, I kid around with you about Carlisle, Pennsylvania, being, quote, I shouldn't say this because Molly might, you know, throw a punch at me across the table.

[Molly Bompain]

Never know.

[Martin DiCaro]

In the middle of nowhere.

[Kate LeMay]

It feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, but it's. We're like the crossroads of like every.

[Martin DiCaro]

It's off a major highway.

[Kate LeMay]

Major highway.

[Martin DiCaro]

I guess what I'm saying is if people can find Mount Vernon and Monticello and all these other little tiny places that are also kind of of far out, they can find Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and come here. This is a great educational experience.

[Molly Bompain]

They can. And they could stop in at Gettysburg. You know, we're right on the way and come here and. Yeah, there's a lot to do.

[Martin DiCaro]

Speaking of Gettysburg, it's almost July. I usually go up there every July from Washington.

[Kate LeMay]

Go over now. We have staff rides. Oh, and Martin, we have a week long national security seminar for people like you who are really interested in the Army War College and how we teach things. And you can be like a guest student for a week. And that's, you know, lots of people can do that. I think you can get in touch with me.

[Martin DiCaro]

You can get in touch with me about that. So one more time. Ready? Happy birthday. Happy birthday, dear.

[Kate LeMay]

I can't even say United States Army.

[Martin DiCaro]

Uncle Sam. Well, no, this is not Uncle. Uncle Sam is. When was Uncle Sam?

[Kate LeMay]

He came in in 1898. We came had caricatures of him. Sure.

[Martin DiCaro]

All right. I stumped somebody here myself. Molly and Kate, thank you. I have loved my visit. In addition to these podcasts, I will share photos and videos from my visit. After all, it is better to see what's in a museum rather than just listen to a couple of people talk about it. History as It Happens is on Facebook and my newsletter can be [e-mail] or just go to Substack and search for History As It Happens.

[Kate LeMay]

It.