‘D-Day, Omaha Beach’ traveling exhibit to include military historian presentation

Posted by
On April 17, 2025

Military historian Dr. John McManus will give a public presentation titled “The Dead and Those about to Die, D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach” in late April at Missouri S&T. The talk will draw on his book of the same name and incorporate references to the current D-Day exhibition on display at S&T.

The talk will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 24, on the second floor of the Curtis Laws Wilson Library, which is located at on the Missouri S&T campus at 400 W. 14th St. in Rolla. Visitor parking is available in the F lot, off of 14th and 13th Streets, and in the L lots behind the library.

Painting titled “At Hell’s Gate” by artist Keith Rocco.

This presentation is a part of a traveling exhibit, “D-Day, Omaha Beach,” on display at the S&T Library through Thursday, May 15. This exhibit recreates the assault on Omaha Beach, the bloodiest and most contested of the five invasion beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy.

The book, The Dead and Those About to Die — D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach, takes a fresh look at Omaha Beach through the eyes of the 1st Infantry Division, known as the Big Red One, and brings new perspective to the battle that began America’s rise as a superpower.

McManus says the book answers many of the questions that still surround D-Day, including why the 1st Division succeeded despite such terrible circumstances, the number of German soldiers opposing the invaders, the real cost in casualties, the identity of key personalities who made major contributions to the American victory, and the larger meaning of Omaha Beach to the invasion and how subsequent post-war history has unfolded until now.

McManus has authored 15 non-fiction historical books about the American military experience. He is in frequent demand as a speaker and expert commentator on 20th and 21st century American war, and has appeared on C-Span, the Military Channel, the Discovery Channel, the Smithsonian Network, History and PBS. He also hosts two World War II-related podcasts that have generated more than seven million downloads.

McManus joined the Missouri S&T faculty in 2000. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Tennessee. He also holds a master’s degree in history and a bachelor of journalism degree, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He received the 2012 Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2014 he was named Curators’ Distinguished Professor of history and political science by the University of Missouri System – the first S&T faculty member in a humanities or social sciences field to achieve that distinction.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.

Share this page

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

preload imagepreload image