Historical

Many of the young Americans who signed up to fight in World War 2 were initially swept away by their patriotism and a passion for their cause and eager to go to war. Once on the battlefield, they found the reality of combat to be far more horrific than they could possibly have imagined. It’s … [Read Transcript...]

During World War 2, Minnesotan Walter Grotz was shot down over Germany and then shipped to a Polish POW camp. More than 60 years after he was released, he returned as an honored dignitary when the site was dedicated as a war memorial and was presented with the gift of a sculpture of a US … [Read Transcript...]

Walter Grotz was drafted and entered military service just one week after he graduated from Delano High School. He flew raids in a B-24 until he was shot down over Germany and sent to a POW camp in Poland. Later, the Germans marched Grotz and his fellow American prisoners to Berlin, a harsh 520 mile … [Read Transcript...]

Claude Williams, pictured here in 2014, was shot down while on a bombing run over Belguim and held as a prisoner of war by the Germans. Williams was held in a POW camp in Barth, Germany, kept with 19 other men in one small room. The friendships formed in those close quarters lasted long after … [Read Transcript...]