Recording Life Behind the Wire: The Red Cross, YMCA and POW Journals

During World War II, soldiers captured by the enemy were held in camps thousands of miles away from their friends and families back home with no idea when they would be able to return. To make their captivity easier, the International Red Cross and the Y.M.C.A. sent them not only essentials like food and medical supplies, but also things like books, games, and journals.

Why were these supplies so important to POWs? Join the Pritzker Military Museum & Library on Saturday, July 9th from 11:00-12:30pm to discover how the Y.M.C.A.-issued journal of WWII Air Force Sergeant Louis Joseph, currently on display in our Life Behind the Wire: Prisoners of War exhibit, helped him get through his internment in Switzerland. Then, learn how to make a journal of your own for recording your thoughts and feelings!

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