As part of their American History Series, the Milford Museum will present “The Red Ball Express” on Saturday, February 14 at 1 PM at the Milford Public Library. This program will take you back to World War II.
“Following the D-Day invasion of World War II, the United States Army and its allies needed a reliable transportation service,” Tom Summers, Executive Director of the museum, said. “This was to carry the tons of supplies, food and munitions needed to equip the troops who were fighting their way across Europe to destroy the German war machine.”
Aircraft was needed for the war effort, Summers explained. This mean that the only option was truck transportation.
“Taking its name from a 19th century American priority railroad service which was known as “Red Ball,’ this new mission became known as the Red Ball Express,” Summers said. “The drivers for this operation, which was key to victory for the Allies, were almost 75 percent African American.”
The program will be presented by Dante Brizill, a social studies educator at Polytech who has also taught in Maryland. A Philadelphia native, Brizill has degrees in history from Hampton University and Wesley College. He has written a series titled “Greatness Under Fire” that highlights African American heroes in World War II. He has also written articles that have appeared in newspapers around the nation as well as nationally published periodicals.
The American History series is presented on the second Saturday of every month a the Milford Public Library, located at 11 Southeast Front Street. The Delaware Heritage Commission supports this program through a generous grant.
For more information, contact Summers at 302-424-1080 or via email.
