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Deere opens WWII exhibit

Anew gallery exhibit titled 'Answering the Call: John Deere During the Second World War,' has been unveiled at John Deere Commons in downtown Moline, Ill. The presentation highlights efforts by men and women overseas and by Deere & Company to help the Allies win World War II.

Primary topics are an introduction that sets the stage for the war years; a discussion of the John Deere Battalion (five companies of the 303rd Ordnance Regiment); home-front accounts of Victory Gardens, bond rallies, scrap drives and other support efforts, and Deere & Company's wartime production of ammunition, tank transmissions, airplane components, and other activities.

Images, artifacts and documents from Deere & Company's records, most of which have never been seen by the public, help to tell the story, as do personal items from John Deere Battalion members. These include uniforms, posters, ammunition, photographs and scrapbooks.

Of particular note are the scrapbooks and journals that detail battalion member Neal Sullivan's personal war experiences. Sullivan was a Bronze Star recipient who enlisted with his best friend; both were employees of a John Deere dealership in North Dakota. Sullivan spent three years in the service and during that time was permitted to photograph much of what he saw of the Battalion's activities overseas.

The exhibit is in the gallery near the John Deere Store through December. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays; from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays, and from noon to 4 p.m., Sundays. FC

For more information, call (309) 765-1000 or visit the 'What's New' section of the John Deere Pavilion Web site: www.johndeerepavilion.com