Every summer, and if I’m lucky, every summer forever, I take a day to visit the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. When I first visited, it was called the D-Day Museum but in 2003, Congress gave it the current designation.
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All the hanging aircraft and such are impressive — but I really go for the displays which are so well done.
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Enter the main building, part of the experience now is that you receive your dogtag and begin your ‘journey’ in a Union Pacific Train Car to get a sense of what your soldier went through. This portion is optional, though, and what I like to do is time it so that I get my ticket and head straight over to the Solomon Victory Theater for the 4-D film, ‘Beyond All Boundaries‘.
Every year, I see people bringing kids in for the film. It’s wonderful — immersive, so informative — but not geared for children as there are graphic and understandably heartbreaking scenes. If you have children under, let’s say 15 or 16, I’d give this a pass. But if you’re an adult, don’t miss it.
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The newest exhibits are those in this building, including the Road to Berlin and Road to Tokyo.
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Enigma machine
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There are spaces in the museum in which I feel so close to my late grandfather, who fought in the Army during the war. To myself: PawPaw, thank you for helping save the world. 
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Many more photos from other visits here.
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The Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in WWII has been up for almost a year and closes on May 30.