CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - In time for Memorial Day, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library has a new exhibit exploring what it was like to be a prisoner of war.
“Life Behind the Wire” examines the experiences of two prisoners in Vietnam and seven from World War Two – who were held by the Germans or the Japanese.
“Some of those individuals were officers, some were enlisted men, some were held for multiple years, some were held for several months. So, each story kind of highlights a different perspective,” curator James Brundage said.
He said all but one survived and returned home to the U.S. – many to the Chicago area.
The museum uses letters, artifacts and interviews to give a day-to-day look at what POWs went through – showing the disparate and varied treatment they received.
Brundage expects highlights to be oral histories the museum conducted or gathered from the Library of Congress and National World War II Museum.
“Oral history clips I think are really important because there’s no better place to hear the story than from those who experienced it and survived,” Brundage said.
One of the Vietnam prisoners featured is retired Major General John Borling.
The Chicago native and Purple Heart recipient was held captive for six and a half years – including some time with John McCain.
The Pritzker Military Museum is located on the 100 block of South Michigan Avenue. The exhibit runs through next spring.
The museum and library is closed on Sunday and Memorial Day but is offering free admission on Saturday.
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