Our Exhibits

Behind the Wire

Behind the Wire is a student-created exhibit that tells the story of local Korean War veteran, Anthony Jurek, and his experiences as a prisoner of war in Korea from 1950-1953.

Captured on Dec. 1, 1950, Jurek tells of his encounter with death on the edge of a gully, and being allowed to live on the whim of a Chinese officer.  He shares the stories of multiple escape attempts that in the end proved unsuccessful, but were worth attempting nonetheless.

Jurek's story is accompanied by artifacts including a Chinese uniform, the diary of  POW Kenneth Brown, and musical scores written by Major Thomas Shefchik, a POW during WWII.  Paintings by local artist Adam Frankiewicz, a student at UWS, bring to life various instances in Jurek's experience.

Initiated by Dan Hartman, Program Director of the VMH, the student exhibit idea was created with the goal of educating students about what goes into an exhibit.  Students are responsible for research, design, marketing and meeting deadlines, all of which are part of the museum experience.

With the help of Stephen Nickell (UWS), Preston Petermeier, Alicia Kozlowski (both UMD) and Brittany Houselog (St. Scholastica), audiences of all ages can take a deeper look at the life of a POW and experience Anthony Jurek’s story firsthand.