Press release dated 10 NOV 1997

WISCONSIN VETERANS ORAL HISTORY PROJECT INTERVIEWS 200th VETERAN

Madison --  On November 10, 1997, World War II veteran W.E. "Bill" Tritz of
Waukesha, Wisconsin became the 200th Badger State veteran interviewed by the
Wisconsin Veterans Oral History Project (WVOHP) of the Wisconsin Veterans
Museum.

Born in Chili, Wisconsin in 1924, Tritz enlisted in the Army Air Corps in
1942.  Based in Italy, he served as a radio operator on a bomber in the 15th
Air Force.  He flew more than 20 combat missions over southern and eastern
Europe before being shot down over Vienna, Austria in December 1944.  With
the help of the Czechoslovak underground, Tritz managed to evade capture by
the Nazis and he eventually reached Russian lines.  He returned to the
United States in 1945.  He is presently writing a book about his wartime
experiences.

The Wisconsin Veterans Oral History Project began in June 1994 with the
interview of a D-Day veteran from Madison.  Of the first 200 interviews, 162
saw service during World War II, 39 during the Korean War period, 19 during
the Viet Nam years, and 7 from other conflicts (several veterans served in
more than one war). Veterans of the US Army accounted for more than half of
all interviews, with a total of 103 (not including the Army Air Force of
World War II); the Air Force accounted for 38 interviews, the Navy 34, the
Marine Corps 17, the Merchant Marine 2, and the Coast Guard 1.  Three
subjects were civilians.  In addition to veterans of US military service,
the museum has also interviewed veterans of foreign lands who now reside in
Wisconsin, including an Englishman, a German, and a volunteer for the
Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War.

All interviews are tape recorded, transcribed, and made available to
qualified historians for research purposes.  In the study of military
history, the voices of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are vital to
gain an understanding of war, its effects, and its costs.  The WVOHP seeks
to preserve this knowledge for future generations.

For more information about the Wisconsin Veterans Oral History Project or
any other museum programs, please contact the Wisconsin Veterans Museum at
30 West Mifflin Street, Madison, WI 53707-7843, (608) 266-1680,
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