You Are Invited to Attend
The 3rd Annual Sarasota World War II Conference

January 30 - February 2, 2008

With gratitude to all who serve and have served in the United States military, especially in 1941-1945, we continue our annual series of conferences on World War II – to better understand and further appreciate the epic struggle of the 20^th century 

Our 2008 conference in Sarasota will feature celebrated historians whose topics will cover battles, personalities, organization, logistics and perspectives pertaining to both the Pacifc and European theaters.

Three of our historians saw combat experience in the War and will share with us their war-time experiences:

·        Harold Baumgarten, 116^th Regiment, 29^th Infantry Division, who was wounded five times on Omaha Beach;

·        Charles P. Roland, 394^th Regiment, 99^th Infantry Division, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded at Remagen;

·        Edwin C. Bearss, 3^rd Marine Raider Battalion, who was severely wounded at “Suicide Creek” (Cape Gloucester, New Britain);

The conference will again be headquartered at the Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel, 1540 Ben Franklin Drive (on Lido Beach) Sarasota, Florida 34236, where we have reserved a limited block of sleeping rooms at the special nightly rates, single and double, of $110 (Northside or Courtyard), $130 (Poolside) and $155 (Gulfside). The Helmsley Sandcastle offers 600 feet of private beach, two outdoor pools and a host of other amenities. Call 800-225-2181 Monday thru Friday, 9:00AM-5:00PM and identify yourself as a registrant for the World War II Conference.

By June 1, we will announce the faculty’s topics and their order of presentation. In the meantime, we invite you to enroll and be assured of a space. Time is of the essence as we again expect a full house. We advise you to register early because seating and hotel rooms are limited. We hope you’ll join us on Lido Beach for the Sarasota World War II Conference!

* FACULTY *

ROBERT J. DALESSANDRO is Director of the United States Army Heritage and Education Center, United States Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Organization and Insignia of the American Expeditionary Force, 1917-1923 and serves as an advisor to the American Battle Monuments Commission for the Normandy American Cemetery Interpretive Center at Colleville-sur-Mer, France.

JOSEPH H. ALEXANDER is the leading living historian of the United States Marine Corps. His books include Utmost Savagery (1995), Storm Landings (1997), and Edson’s Raiders (2000).  His 1997 publication, A Fellowship of Valor: The Battle History of the United States Marines, has been acclaimed as the best popular history of the Corps.

HAROLD BAUMGARTEN is the author of D-Day Survivor: An Autobiography. A riflemen in Company B, 116^th Regiment, 29^th Infantry Division, he was wounded five times on Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion. He will serve as a co-leader of the September, 2007 Normandy Campaign tour sponsored by American History Forum.

EDWIN C BEARSS, historian emeritus of the National Park Service, is the most known battlefield guide in America and is acclaimed as one of the stars of Ken Burns's award-winning PBS series, The Civil War. While working for the NPS at Vicksburg in 1956, he helped locate and raise the ironclad gunboat Cairo, one of the most significant artifacts of the Civil War. As a Marine in World War II, his life changed forever at a place in the Pacific dubbed "Suicide Creek" (Cape Gloucester, New Britain) where he was severely wounded by Japanese machine gun fire.

CARLO D’ESTE is the author of the best-selling biographies, Patton: A Genius for War and Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life as well as numerous books on World War II, including his critically-acclaimed Decision at Normandy.

ROBERT K. KRICK is the author of A Virginia Marine on Iowa Jima and 15 Civil War books. He served as a Marine Corps contract historian for the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico which opened in 2006.

CHARLES P. ROLAND is a leading military historian and the author of many books including An American Iliad: The Story of the Civil War; Albert Sidney Johnston: Soldier of Three Republics, and most recently, My Odyssey Through History: Memoirs of War and Academe. During World War II, he served in the 394^th regiment of the 99^th U.S. Infantry Division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge and at Remagen where he was wounded.

MARK A. STOLER is Professor of History at the University of Vermont and the author of many books including Allies and Adversaries: The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Grand Alliance, and U. S. Strategy in World Was II; The Politics of the Second Front: American Military Planning and Diplomacy in Coalition Warfare, 1941-1943 and George C. Marshall: Soldier-Statesman of the American Century.

CRAIG L. SYMONDS recently retired as Professor of History at the U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis. Maryland. He is the Chief Historian of the USS Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia and the author of many books including Confederate Admiral: The Life and Times of Franklin Buchanan. His latest book is Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles That Shaped American History.

3rd Annual Sarasota World War II Conference

Wednesday, January 30

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM                Welcome Reception & Cash Bar 

7:00 PM thru Sat 12:00 N       Book Display & Sale

Thursday, January 31

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM                Presentation # 1

9:45 AM -10:45AM                Presentation # 2

11:00AM -12:00 N                  Presentation # 3

12:00 N – 1:00 PM                  Group Lunch in Dining Room.

(Those not enrolled for the group lunch can dine in the Hotel Coffee Shop).      

1:15 PM - 2:00 PM                 Presentation # 4

2:15 PM – 2:45 PM                  Panel Discussion A  

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM                 Reception in honor of Hal Baumgarten, Ed Bearss, Charles Roland and all other World War II veterans in attendance

Friday, February 1

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM                 Presentation         # 5

9:45 AM -10:45AM                 Presentation # 6                                      

11:00AM - 12:00 N                 Presentation # 7

 12:00 N - 1:00 PM                  Group Lunch in Dining Room

                                                            (Those not enrolled for the group lunch can dine in the Hotel Coffee Shop). 

1:15 PM - 2:00 PM                  Presentation # 8

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM                  Panel Discussion B

Saturday, February 2

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM                 Presentation # 9

9:45 AM - 10:45AM                Presentation # 10

11:00AM -12:00 N                  Presentation # 11            

Topics of Presentation and Panel Themes

will be Posted Here and Sent to All Registrants before June 22.

Registration Fees