From the Exhibit Organizers

 

The Russian Museum and the Foundation for International Art & Education have over a number of years pursued successful cooperation in holding exhibitions on Russian-US culture. The current project is different from what we have done previously. It is not a display of works of art. This exhibit is essentially a collection of documents related to the life story and exploits of a soldier who during World War Two fought in the ranks of both the US and Soviet armies.

 

The Hero of Two Nations is not just the life story of one young American, it is a reminder of the great struggle and the scale of human sacrifice by the two nations during World War Two. It is a call for people not to forget history. “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” observed George Santayana. The heroes of that great generation are passing away and it is ever more important to remember what they fought for and the full magnitude of the human cost.

 

Joseph Beyrle – the hero at the center of our exhibit – was a talented young man and at the same time as an ordinary American. He realized that a collosal war had begun and like millions of his fellow countrymen stepped forward to fight the ultimate evil – Nazism and Fascism. Following the military record of Joseph Beyrle we are reminded once again the exploits of many young soldiers and realize how many people experienced the horrors of that war.

 

We pay tribute and celebrate all the Joseph Beyrles of the world who risked their lives for us. We retell this unique story as a covenant for future generations.

 

We are grateful to all those who made this project possible and helped supplement it with supporting programs. First and foremost we thank the family of Joseph Beyrle – his children who grew up on stories about their father’s exploits. Working with them was a wonderful experience. It is a happy coincidence that Joe’s youngest son John is currently US ambassador to Russia. He is building bridges between the two nations through diplomacy just like his father did during the war.

 

We extend our gratitude to many people for cooperating on this project but would like to especially thank Preston Mendenhall for volunteering to find ways to finance the project and contributing to its development. Many employees of our two organizations have played an important role in bringing this project to life but our special thanks go to Josef Kiblitsky from the museum and Alec Guroff from the Foundation. They were the main organizing force behind the project.

 

We are also grateful to all those who supported the project by joining the honorary and organizational committees. And naturally this endeavor, just like many others, would be impossible without sponsors. We have named all the sponsors in the catalogue but would like to separately mention the main contributor – the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

We are proud that two organizations – Russian and American – have joined forces for this project and would like to use the occasion to once again pay tribute to all Joseph Beyrles of our two countries.