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To those in military service and to our veterans, The Stars and Stripes represents much more than our American flag. They recognize it as the newspaper that serves as a medium between soldiers and their families, as well as a reporter of news.
Over the last 137 years, millions of copies of The Stars and Stripes have been distributed throughout the world. And, it all began during the Civil War in the town of Bloomfield, located in southeast Missouri.
It was here on November 9, 1861 that 10 Illinois Union soldiers, using the vacated press of The Bloomfield Herald, published the first "Stars and Stripes" which they named after the American flag. One of the original copies of that 1861 paper is now owned by the Stoddard County Historical Society and to be put on loan with the museum.
The Stars and Stripes flourished during each of the five major wars this country has fought.
General John J. Pershing, a fellow Missourian, recognized the value of The Stars and Stripes during World War I, as a great morale builder.
During World War II, General George C. Marshall referred to The Stars and Stripes "as a symbol of the things we are fighting to preserve...free thought and free expression of a free people".
Many famous people have been connected with The Stars and Stripes: Cartoonist Bill Mauldin; Andy Rooney and Steve Kroft of "Sixty Minutes" were former Striper's as was Harold K. Ross, founder of the New Yorker magazine. Grantland Rice, Ernie Pyle, Walter Cronkite and other war correspondents have also contributed to the newspaper.
Several former S & S staff members and various war veterans have donated personal letters, unpublished behind-the-scenes reports, back issues of The Stars and Stripes and other interesting war-related items to be displayed or filed as reference material.
All this history will be preserved. A Stars and Stripes Museum/Library with climate-controlled storage, handicapped accessibility, display and meeting rooms will be invaluable for research. The facility serves historians, students and writers, as well as the general public.
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The Stars and
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The Stars and Stripes Museum/Library Association, Inc.® is a 501(c)3 Corporation |
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