Interpreting Naval History at Museums and Historic Sites

Interpreting Naval History at Museums and Historic Sites demonstrates the broad appeal of naval themed commemoration, centering on military aspects from both times of war and peace. Using an international approach, the book illustrates the intersection of the historical understanding of one’s place and naval traditions. Locating the boundaries, one finds both the depth and breath of the topics linking (and dividing) water and man.

Dr. Benjamin Hruska is a history instructor at Basis International School in Shenzhen, China. Before this he served as the court historian for the Department of Defense’s U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. He completed his PhD in Public History at Arizona State University in 2012 and his dissertation focused on the actions of self-commemoration by U.S. Navy veterans in World War II. Before graduate school he served as the Executive Director of a small maritime museum, the Block Island Historical Society on Block Island, Rhode Island. He earned an M.A. in Public History from Wichita State University in 2004 and a B.A. in History from Pittsburg State University in 2000.