To the Editor,

I received a letter this week about a World War II museum that is being built at 945 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70130. The letter(s) follows and explains this will honor all World War II veterans with their names at the museum.

Anyone who chooses can send a donation of $25 and up.

The letter was signed by Fletcher Isacks and Tom Brokaw, a former newscaster on NBC television.

I’m very proud to help in any way. My two late deceased husbands, and also two of my brothers, were veterans of World War II and served several years.

Sincerely,

Bonza Witt

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(Tom Brokaw letter)

Dear Fellow American,

I am honored to invite you to join me as a donor of The National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

With your support, this long overdue memorial museum will be an enduring reminder to all Americans the price the “Greatest Generation” paid to secure the liberty we as Americans enjoy today.

When America was plunged into war the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, history hung in the balance. The forces of tyranny were on the march. Britain and Russia were succumbing to the hammer blows of the Nazi war machine. The Japanese juggernaut in the Pacific was unstoppable.

Yet, wit the smoke still lingering over Pearl Harbor, America united as never before. Overnight, the American people were resolved to one purpose and one purpose only: Final Victory.

Men, women, young and old, even children, had a role. Farm boys, lawyers, accountants, grocery clerks, indeed, men and teenagers from all walks of life joined the armed services by the millions. Women flooded the shipyards and factories to produce the arms of democracy. Children scavenged for scrap metal and rubber to help out. Everyone knew the stakes were high–defeat was not an option.

The entire nation came together with discipline, courage, and self-sacrifice to achieve a great victory of good over evil. More than 400,000 of our countrymen gave their lives to achieve this victory. The entire nation did its part to see their sacrifices would not be in vain.

Today, this “Greatest Generation” is passing into the night. Their legacy is the legacy of freedom. It is our legacy. One which we should never take for granted. That is why I ask you to support The National World War II Museum.

The story of the World War II generation is a lesson in freedom. The Museum will not only honor the “Greatest Generation” but ensure this lesson is passed down to future generations of Americans. Thank you.

Tom Brokaw

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(Fletcher Isacks letter)

Dear Bonza:

I never met my grandfather. He was killed when my dad was only five. One of the thousands of young Marines who gave his life in the battle of Iwo Jima.

Leonard Jacobs was 32 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. A Regional Sales Manager for Firestone Tire Company. Married, with two young sons and a daughter on the way.

In Germany, Adolf Hitler and the Nazies had seized power and launched a horrifying march of death and destruction throughout Europe and North Africa. They were convinced that America was too far away to mount a serious challenge.

In the East, Imperial Japan waged a brutal war to extend its empire throughout Asia. They too were confident that America lacked the will to stop them.

But on that “day of infamy,” our nation was transformed virtually overnight.

Young men enlisted in the armed forces in record numbers, putting their families and careers on hold, risking their lives to defeat the enemies of freedom.

On the Home Front, millions of women went to work in America’s factories building the “Arsenal of Democracy”– a mighty force of tanks, planes, ships and weapons that our soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen needed to fight enemies on three continents.

Perhaps it was your father or grandfather, an uncle or other relative who lined up outside a local military recruitment office to enlist. Or maybe your mother or grandmother rolled up her sleeves and went to work alongside legions of “Rosies the Riverters.”

Whatever our personal connection to the valiant and victorious World War II generation, you must be as proud of your family’s legacy as I am of mine.

I hope you’ll want to see their names listed on The National WWII Museum’s HONOR ROLL of those who made an invaluable contribution to America’s victory in World War II. The HONOR ROLL is an important part of the Museum’s story. We want visitors from across the country–and around the world–to know about the heroes we hold in such high esteem.

I am hoping that, because of your direct family connections to World War II, you will also donate to The National WWII Museum, and send a contribution of $25, $35, $60, $100 or more today.

My grandfather’s name was one of the first to be listed. My brother and I saw to that.

Like so many young men of that time, my grandfather wanted to contribute and joined the Marines. It couldn’t have been an easy decision to leave his family behind, to go and fight on foreign soil. Yet he knew it was something he had to do, if there was going to be any hope for a world of freedom for his children to grow up in.

He wrote the enclosed Christmas letter on December 17, 1944 to his sons–one of whom grew up to become my dad. You can see in his letter how strongly he wanted his sons to understand why he was away at Christmas time. Why he and all the other dads were fighting a war.

He wanted to pass on a lesson about freedom and courage that would last their lifetimes. Maybe they wouldn’t understand it at the time, but when they were older, they would understand–in case he wasn’t around to explain it to them.

Just a few weeks after he wrote that letter, 1st Lt. Isacks shipped off with his fellow Marines. His division was given one of the most difficult and deadly assignments of World War II–take back the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese, who had dug miles of underground tunnels filled with troops and weapons.

My grandfather volunteered to be among the waves of troops sent ashore that first day. He was 300 yards into the beach when he was wounded by Japanese mortar fire. Unconscious, with severe injuries to his head and left arm, he was evacuated to a hospital ship offshore. He died the next day and was buried at sea. Only 34 years old.

Two days later, the American Flag was raised over Iwo Jima, signaling the Americans were here to stay. I’m sure you’ve seen a photograph of that flag raising, one of the most famous images of World War II.

My dad grew up living the spirit of that letter written to him and his brother. It taught lessons about character and commitment, and the need to defend freedom, no matter how difficult it might be. He passed those same lessons on to my brother and me, and we are so grateful for them to this day.

As remarkable as my grandfather was, he was no different than the 16 million other young men who joined the Army, Navy, Army Air Forces, Marines, and other branches of America’s armed forces during World War II.

We can never forget those who fought and sacrificed to win World War II. Each was motivated by a common understanding that the freedoms they held dear were at risk.

Now, that generation is rapidly passing away. Their stories must be told, and told again, because there are lessons about courage and sacrifice that no generation can afford to forget.

For the past 15 years, The National WWII Museum has been collecting, preserving and presenting those stories. And not just by putting up some passive display either. The Museum literally breathes new life into these stories in so many ways:

* through heartrending firsthand recounting–There are now more than 7,500 audio histories and other accounts throughout the Museum as well as a multitude of personal keepsakes like my grandfather’s letter.

* through carefully restored artifacts–From the iconic Jeep to the breathtaking views of vintage aircraft suspended overhead, countless “hands of metal” pay tribute to America’s Arsenal of Democracy and all those who answered the call.

* through imaginative interactive experiences Museum guests gain a firsthand sense of what it was like to be an actual participant in the war–like the life-sized Pullman Train replica visitors center, awash in the same unique sounds of Union Station that young recruits heard as they set off to war, or the white-knuckle intensity of Final Mission: The USS Tang Submarine Experience.

A six-acre campus. Five soaring pavilions. Awe-inspiring exhibits and displays. And of course, in appropriate prominence, the HONOR ROLL. Where every visitor can see it while paying their respects to the men and women who literally saved the world for our freedom.

Names on the HONOR ROLL are also listed on the Museum’s website forever, accessible to your family members and every American who may not be able to visit the Museum in person.

That’s as it should be. Americans from all walks of life struggled side-by-side during World War II–brothers and sisters in arms. Your family member will join with them once again as a permanent part of The National WWII Museum.

When you donate today, your name will also be listed on the HONOR ROLL as one who is generously helping the Museum through your financial support.

Please take a moment today to complete the enclosed donation form–making sure to enter the name you would like to add to the HONOR ROLL–and return it along with your contribution.

Whether you decide to contribute $25, $35, $60, $100 or more, I hope to hear from you right away.

World War II was a crucial struggle, testing our beliefs and resolve. The good war, as it is often called, set the stage for many dramatic changes around the world. Our goal is to help ensue that future generations absorb the powerful lessons from this time.

And is patriotic Americans like you will join us in our educational mission, just as pervious generation came together in World War II, I know we will get the job done!

On behalf of everyone at The National World War II Museum, our Honorary Campaign Chairman, Tom Hanks, and especially members of the Greatest Generation, I thank you for donating to The National World War II Museum.

Sincerely,

Fletcher Isacks

P.S. The Museum is now beginning the final phase of expansion, the Liberation Pavilion, which focuses on what war for freedom means today. What better way to teach our children and grandchildren about the largest military conflict of the 20th century than to share the incredible real-life stories of the men and women of the Greatest Generation. I urge you to join me in this important mission today.