ArcaMax

What are your 14 year olds up to? Jack Lucas was in the Marines. Yes, he'd lied about his age to join during World War II, but just three years later he won the Congressional Medal of Honor for using his own body to shield three members of his squad from two grenades during the Iwo Jima campaign, nearly getting killed when one exploded.

He survived and became the youngest Marine ever to receive the United States' highest military honor. The wallet he had in his pocket that day tells just one of the many stories at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, which makes the war real for a generation born long after it was fought.

"In school and on paper, the scale of the war tends to be understated, and is hard to emphasize," said Stefan Suazo, an 11th-grader who serves as a member of the museum's youth Victory Corps volunteers.

"In the museum, however, artifacts, veterans and vehicles provide an in-depth look at the sheer magnitude of the event."

"Speak to the veterans (who are volunteers at the museum)," he suggests. "They are living history, and will be more than happy to share their experiences. They give first-hand accounts of the war, and provide the best information available."

"This museum really puts you in the shoes of the people who lived the events," added Ruth Lee, also a junior volunteer. "You'll learn a lot!"

Like the fact that fewer than 500 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II. You can see all of their faces in one exhibit.

There are dented helmets, letters home, photographs, flight jackets and K rations, complete with chocolate bars and gum. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 16 million Americans served in World War II and the museum honors all of them, which is especially poignant as we pause this Veterans Day to commemorate the sacrifices of all those who fought for their country.

There's a Kids Corner on the museum's website where kids can make their own WWII-era patch. (Many are on exhibit. Try sending a message with Navy flags, or make a propaganda poster.) There's also a scavenger hunt designed for school groups, but it's fun for families, too, as they make their way through the museum. (How long did it take for Andrew Higgins to design and build this special landing craft? Just 61 hours!)

Higgins, we learn, was from New Orleans and had been manufacturing shallow-water work boats to support gas exploration in the Louisiana bayous. He adapted his Eureka Boat to meet the military's need for a landing craft. By using Higgins Boats, armies could unload across an open beach and have more options in choosing their attack points. In 1938, a small workforce of only 75 workers grew to more than 20,000 by 1943. The Higgins workforce was the first in New Orleans to be racially integrated. His employees included undrafted white males, women, African-Americans, the elderly and the physically disabled.

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