Their Finest Hour: Atlanta Remembers World War II opens May 13, 2025 in McElreath Hall.
Included with admission to Atlanta History Center.
World War II was the most significant event of the 20th century, transforming the world and the lives of all who survived.
Across the country, millions of “ordinary” men and women did their part for the war effort. Many, including over 320,000 men and women from Georgia, left their homes and families to fight in Europe and Asia. Others went to work in factories and shipyards on the homefront, and worked together to buy war bonds and ration food, metals, and other goods.
This exhibition contains things they kept and stories they remember from what many consider to be their “finest hour.” It is dedicated to those ordinary individuals who made extraordinary sacrifices for each other and for our future.
Title Image: Adolphus Walker, 784th Tank Battalion, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center.
This exhibition honors the sacrifices of the World War II generation by sharing their stories from more than 850 oral histories preserved in Kenan Research Center’s Veterans History Project.
The Veterans History Project Oral History Recordings are video and audio interviews of those who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, post 9-11 conflicts, and civilians who supported them. The Veterans History Project Collection contains documents, photographs, and other materials pertaining to the military service of interviewees.
Atlanta History Center collects, preserves, and shares these accounts so that future generations can hear directly from veterans and better appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices made by those who serve in uniform.
