National Museum of American History

Frank A. Blazich Jr., PhD

A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Frank Blazich, Jr. is a curator of Military History at the National Museum of American History. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he holds a doctorate in modern American history from The Ohio State University (2013). In January 2017, he assumed his current position as curator of modern military history. His first edited book, Bataan Survivor: A POW’s Account of Japanese Captivity in World War II, was published by the University of Missouri Press in February 2017. He most recent book, “An Honorable Place in American Air Power”: Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Operations, 1943-1943, was published by Air University Press in December 2020

Stories from this author

These Astounding Relics From the Omaha Beach Battle Tell The Story of D-Day 80 Years Later

A jacket, coin and letter reveal what life was like for the brave soldiers who turned the tide of World War II on the Western Front

Frank A. Blazich Jr., PhD | May 21, 2024

Collecting In the Wake of January 6

On January 7, Smithsonian curator Frank Blazich spent hours surveying the National Mall collecting abandoned objects. But that was only the first part of the story.

Frank A. Blazich Jr., PhD | January 6, 2022

Maggie of the Boondocks

In the Mekong Delta, there was nobody who could pick up your spirits like USO girl Martha Raye

Frank A. Blazich Jr., PhD | November 10, 2021

Solving a 100-Year-Old Mystery About a Pigeon

Animal hero celebrates its Smithsonian centennial

Frank A. Blazich Jr., PhD | July 19, 2021

The Cold Morning of the Day After

National Museum of American History curator Frank Blazich discusses rapid-response collecting in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Frank A. Blazich Jr., PhD | February 5, 2021