Museum Honors U.S. Army on Its 250th Anniversary

WASHINGTON, DC — As the United States Army observes its 250th anniversary, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum recognizes and honors the tremendous sacrifices made by our soldiers—and service members from all branches of the US military—to free Europe from Nazi tyranny and bring an end to Nazi Germany’s campaign of genocide against European Jewry. Six million Jews, including 1.5 million Jewish children, were murdered in the Holocaust, and only the military defeat of Nazi Germany by Allied troops halted the killing. 

Sixteen million Americans served in the Armed Forces in World War II, and 405,399 of them paid the ultimate sacrifice, including 318,274 members of the Army and the Army Air Forces. Thirty-six US Army units have been recognized by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the US Army’s Center of Military History as having liberated Nazi concentration camps; their division flags are on display at the Museum’s entrance. The Museum is honored that our plaza is named for Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Many Jewish refugees from Nazism who managed to reach the United States before the outbreak of World War II eagerly joined the US military, returning to Europe to fight Nazi Germany and its collaborators, most famously the Ritchie Boys. 

“Having worked with Holocaust survivors for decades, repeatedly hearing the depth of their gratitude to the US military for their liberation and their ongoing devotion to the United States for the many opportunities this country provided to them as they rebuilt their lives never fails to move me,” said Museum Chairman Stuart E. Eizenstat. “Every American is indebted to all of our brave soldiers who fought in World War II and to the survivors for all that they have contributed to our great nation over the decades.”

A nonpartisan federal, educational institution, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, dedicated to ensuring the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding, and relevance. Through the power of Holocaust history, the Museum challenges leaders and individuals worldwide to think critically about their role in society and to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. For more information, visit ushmm.org.