About Me

Saving American history, one piece at a time

Welcome to the 36th Division Archive. This project began when I first learned that my own great-grandfather served and was wounded while fighting in the famed "Texas" Division in France. Finding many of his original service artifacts in the basement of my grandfather, his son, I became infatuated by his story and the sacrifices he endured in the quest to free Europe from Nazi domination. In the years since I have devoted much of my time and effort to preserve the stories of other veterans just like him.

Although it began with gathering items from 36th Infantry Division veterans, the collection has now expanded to include the stories of veterans from all aspects of the European theater, specifically focusing on other ground-pounders of the U.S. Army infantry, and has recently begun to delve into veterans of the Pacific war and other American conflicts of the twentieth century. It is my hope that I can continue to preserve the history of our veterans through these precious objects they leave behind in order that the next generation can learn from their lessons, stories, and sacrifices.

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As the founder of this collection and project, I am proud to continue its work. I recently graduated from Transylvania University summa cum laude with degrees in History and Political Science. While at Transylvania I was also presented with the Ruchman History Award for outstanding contributions to the field of history both on campus and in my community. I am now a law student at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, but still find plenty of time to maintain my pursuit of historical preservation. Although I have had a strong interest in history since a young age, it was not until finding my own great-grandfather's mementos from WWII that I was inspired to find and preserve the stories of individual veterans through the use of their artifacts and intensive research of their own part in the war. I hope that this site can encourage, teach, and inspire others to take note of the extreme sacrifices made to preserve our freedom and to provide access to materials that can lead others to learn about their family's part in that terrible conflict.

-Alex