Sunday, September 20, 2026

Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry

3038 W. 35th Street, Austin, Texas

World War II was the defining event of the 20th Century. 16 Million Americans served in the conflict, roughly 1 out of every 9 people in the United States. By the time it ended, 400,000 Americans had been killed.

Everyone knew someone who served in the war. Almost everybody knew someone who was killed, or a family who had lost a son, a brother, or a father.

World War II was something that nearly every person experienced, either personally, or through someone they knew.

However, this shared experience is quickly fading.

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that as of 2026, only 31,000 of these veterans remain with us. In just a few more years, their voices and their memories will have left us forever.

Join us Sunday, September 20th, 2026, for a privileged encounter with nearly a dozen of these surviving veterans.

On Sunday, September 20, 2026, we will be gathering nearly a dozen veterans of World War II at the Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry, in Austin, Texas, so that people can meet them and make a personal connection with this defining time in world history.

We will be joined by veterans from nearly every area of the conflict

  • Marines who fought their way across the Pacific, in places like Guadalcanal, where American forces turned the tide of Japan’s brutal imperial expansion across the Pacific.

  • Soldiers who fought in Europe - in Italy, Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and into the heart of Hitler’s Germany itself.

  • Men who survived months of harsh imprisonment as captives of the German Army.

  • Pilots and aircrew who risked everything in hostile skies.

  • A trailblazing female veteran, one of the first women allowed to serve overseas during a time of conflict.

  • Veterans who were fought for freedom abroad and for racial equality at home

81 years after it ended, join us for this rare opportunity to make a personal connection with the men and women who experienced one of the most consequential periods in our history.

What they saw. What they heard. What they felt. Come meet them, shake their hand, and learn what it was like to be there.

We owe these men and women a debt of gratitude for what they did for our nation and for the world in their defeat of fascism and imperialism abroad and their contributions to making a more just world. In time, our memory of them will be all that remains. But right now they are still with us, and they are eager to meet you.

Our Schedule -

9:30 AM - Catholic Sunday Mass in the Base Chapel at Camp Mabry. We will gather in prayer for those killed in the war, and in thanksgiving for peace.

11:00 AM - We will gather in the Texas Military Forces Museum Hall of Honor, for an introduction of the veterans present with us, and a brief panel discussion with several of our veterans, who will share some of their experiences and perspective.

12:30 PM- WWII Veterans will be seated at tables for a meet and greet with you! They will share stories, artifacts from their time in service, and be available for photos and autographs, as they wish, until 2:00 PM. Some veterans may need to leave early, while others may stay until the Museum closes at 4:00 PM.

This event is completely free, and open to the public. Bring your friends and family! We hope to help as many people as we can engage with our WWII veterans.

Aside from visiting with the World War II Veterans, take time to explore the Texas Military Forces Museum. The Museum tells the story of Texas Military Forces from the Texas Revolution through the present day through immersive exhibits and impressive artifacts. The museum has a special emphasis on the 36th Infantry Division, Texas’ National Guard Division. Two of our veterans in attendance served with the 36th Division in WWII, so be sure to view the exhibits connected with their service.

WWII Veterans in Attendance

Chester “Buck” Sloan

Served with B Company, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, beginning on June 16, 1944, in Normandy.

He fought through France, capturing 30 German soldiers in the Battle of Brest.

He was evacuated after being wounded by a German grenade on Dec. 18, 1944, on the second day of the Battle of the Bulge

Donald J. Bishop

Don joined the Marines just after Pearl Harbor at the age of 17, eventually being assigned to “K” Company, Third Battalion, First Marine Regiment, in the First Marine Division.

As a 17 year old, he fought in the battle of Guadalcanal, the first major American land victory in World War II. He went on to fight in the battles of Cape Gloucester, where he was decorated for bravery, and Peleliu, where his Regiment suffered a 70% casualty rate after just six days of combat.

On Peleliu, K Company became Marine Corps legend in taking and holding “the Point,” recounted in George P. Hunt’s 1946 classic combat memoir, Coral Comes High.

Joseph Cucinotta

Served with H Company, 2nd Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division from September, 1943. Joe fought with the Division in Italy, including at the disastrous crossing of the Rapido River in January, 1944, where he and many other members of the 36th Division were captured by German forces.

Joe was a Prisoner of War for 15 months before his liberation just two days before the war ended.

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Jose Mendez

Joined F Company, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division in November, 1944. He participated in the vicious fighting the the Hürtgen Forest, as well as in the Battle of the Bulge.

He was wounded in January, 1945, and after his recovery, rejoined the 18th Regiment and fought through Germany and Czechoslovakia. He eventually served as a guard at the Nuremberg Trials of German war criminals.

After returning home, Jose joined other Mexican-American veterans in founding the Freedom Party to advocate for equal rights in South Texas.

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James D. Abbott

Served overseas with the Second Marine Parachute Battalion.

In 1941, the Marine Corps began organizing Parachute Battalions to support amphibious operations in the war that was on the horizon. As the islands of the Pacific proved unsuitable for parachute operations, the Marine Parachutists operated as specialized raiding forces instead.

After boot camp, Mr. Abbott went through Parachute School, and earned his wings. After several months overseas, he was injured, and returned to the United States for his recovery in Oakland Naval Hospital.

Rose Dern

Rose Dern joined the US Navy WAVES, or “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service” in 1942, where she trained as a communication specialist.

Although initially forbidden to serve outside the continental United States, in 1944, the WAVES were allowed to serve in Alaska and Hawaii. Rose worked in aviation communications in Maui, making her one of the first women to serve overseas in wartime.

Colonel Joe McPhail

Colonel McPhail was commissioned as an officer on December 4, 1941, just three days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

He first arrived in the Pacific Theater in 1943, flying the F4F Wildcat with VMF-441, where he survived a crash into the ocean. He also flew the F4U Corsair with VMF-323, achieving two aerial victories in April, 1945 after shooting down a Japanese “Zero” fighter and a “Nate” Kamikaze.

He continued to fly the Corsair until the end of the war, flying from Peleliu with VMF-121. Colonel McPhail also piloted Corsairs during the Korean War, flying with VMF-214, “The Black Sheep.”

Frank Stellar

Initially served with the US Army Air Corps’ 302nd Airdrome Squadron, 9th Air Force, constructing fighter airstrips in Normandy following the American invasion.

After rapid German advances in the Battle of the Bulge, he was transferred to the infantry, and sent for training in England. He made it back to Europe at the end of the war, joining A Company, 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division in Germany.

Karl Schmitt

Karl Schmitt served with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, from October, 1943, to April, 1945, excepting periods he spent in the hospital after being wounded.

He saw his first action in the mountains of Italy at Venafro, then again in breakout from Anzio and the push inland. After the liberation of Rome, Karl served in Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France, and fought through Alsace and into Germany. He received his first Purple Heart when wounded on the Maginot Line in January, 1945, and his second after being shot by a sniper in Nuremburg in April, 1945. 

Do you know a World War II Veteran who would like to attend? If so, please let us know! We would be honored to host them.

About “The War Remembered”

The War Remembered is an organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Second World War through oral history interviews with World War II veterans, and other witnesses to the conflict.

Through these interviews, we hope to help people form a personal connection with history, and to realize that these were real events that happened to people just like you and I. We believe that through this personal connection, it becomes clear that history is much more than words on a page - it’s our story.

While we still have the opportunity to, The War Remembered is proud to facilitate in-person connection with these witnesses to history, and to work to preserve their memories for years to come.

Thank you for your interest in Texas World War II Veteran Day 2026

For more information about our hosts, the Texas Military Forces Museum, visit their website at https://texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/