BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) -- The Heinz History Center's traveling World War II exhibit is on display inside the Bedford County Historical Society, the furthest east the exhibit will go.
“We’ve had quite a few from the Heinz History Center,” said Gillian Leach, the historical society’s executive director. “Right now, they are offering their World War II, 'We Can Do It' exhibit. It’s our turn to have it.”
The exhibit highlights the important role Western Pennsylvania played in industrial efforts during the war and the heroics of men like Johnstown native Michael Strank, who helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima.
One display features a historic radio transmission.
“We have President Roosevelt giving his fantastic speech the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor,” Leach said.
Leach said the historical society wanted to display items connected to the area while the traveling exhibit is in town.
“We put out a call,” she said. “We got a lot of Bedford County artifacts that have been kept in families of many who had served both in the European theater and the Pacific theater.”
A 1943 Jeep, similar to those used in the war, is on loan from a Bedford County resident.
The society received a collection of 400 letters from soldiers sent to a Bedford County woman.
One display honors Bedford County heroes, soldiers killed in action.
“We also have Ellis Weicht, who was a Medal of Honor winner and very proud,” Leach said. “We have Nazi memorabilia and we have [some] the Japanese from Iwo Jima and the Philippines.”
Leach hopes the exhibits bring a sense of awe, just like the stories she heard as a child.
“I got to listen to soldiers who were prisoners of war or were taken off Dunkirk or when the Yanks came to England and they would sit around and talk,” Leach said. “I wanted to share it with these younger generations so they could see what the kids did here.”
Leach said the exhibits represent the sacrifices made by those home and abroad during the war.
The exhibit is on display at the Bedford County Historical Society until Jan. 28.
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