History in Focus: Colorado's Military Stories - History Colorado Center

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Free Library and Collections Open House
Interested in seeing historical photos, artifacts, and other collections related to the United States and Colorado at war?  We're holding an open house in the Stephen H. Hart Library & Research Center, where we'll bring out objects for viewing and curators and librarians will answer questions. (Library & Research Center closed for regular research this day.)

V-Day 11.11.11: Veterans Day Documentary
This award-winning documentary profiles men and women who've dedicated their lives to America, following them on November 11, 2011, and beyond.  Cameras reveal the motivations of those who protect and defend our country, weaving together stories from across the United States, in peacetime and at war.  More than a dozen noted filmmakers joined director John Goheen in making the film. Free with admission, plays throughout the day.

Lectures with Historians Flint Whitlock and Geoff Hunt
Soldiers on Skis, 11 a.m.

Flint Whitlock - author, historian, and son of a 10th Mountain veteran - shares the history of the only American army division specially trained for mountain and winter warfare in World War II. Learn about the 10th training, combat in Italy, and contributions to postwar America - including its role in popularizing skiing.

Mutiny in Manila: A Colorado Story in the Spanish-American War, noon
In 1898 the soldiers of the First Colorado Volunteer Infantry found themselves stationed in the Philippines. There, they got caught up in protests over bad food and prolonged service.  Military historian Geoff Hunt explores this surprising story from Colorado's military past.

Distant Bugles, Distant Drums: Civil War in Colorado, 1 p.m.
Early in the Civil War, 3,000 Texans headed up the Rio Grande Valley from El Paso to invade Colorado and seize its gold and silver mines for the Confederacy.  The scheme failed when a 1,000-man regiment from Colorado Territory defeated the rebels at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.  Flint Whitlock recounts their dramatic tale.

Wheels Up: Lowry Air Force Base, 2 p.m.
Geoff Hunt traces the history of Lowry Air Force Base, from its humble beginnings as a tuberculosis cow pasture to its heyday as an air and training base and its redevelopment as a residential neighborhood.

The Liberation of Dachau: The 45th Infantry, 3 p.m.
Flint Whitlock highlights Colorado's "other" World War II division - the 45th Infantry of the Colorado-Oklahoma National Guard.  The 10th Mountain Division saw about four months in combat, but the 45th saw 511 days -- including four amphibious combat landings in the Mediterranean - and suffered staggering casualties.  Hear about the grueling battles and dogged determination of the unit that ultimately liberated the Dachau concentration camp.