We recently opened a new exhibit at the Dowagiac Area History Museum that looks at wartime stories of Cass County residents and, of course, it made me appreciate the efforts and sacrifices of our veterans.

Local residents have served during wartime in all the country’s wars from the Civil War to the current conflicts in the Middle East and the exhibit highlights some of the local veterans’ stories.

One of my favorite stories had to do with an event in Dowagiac during World War II.

One of Dowagiac’s most decorated soldiers was Major General Irving Phillipson, of the Phillipson Clothing Store family. Phillipson, valedictorian of the Dowagiac High School Class of 1899, was a 1904 West Point graduate who had a storied career in the Army. He served with distinction in the Philippines during the insurrection following the Spanish American War and he commanded troops during World War I.

Between the Great War and World War II, he had stints in various command posts, including an extensive posting with the General Staff during General Douglas MacArthur’s tenure there — they had a friendship that lasted throughout his career.

In the 1930s, he was credited with stabilizing and preparing the Presidio in San Francisco for World War II. Because of his success rehabilitating the Presidio, he was given charge of troops in New York and was later awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work preparing troops for the impending war.

Phillipson was promoted to Brigadier General in 1938 and to Major General in 1941. In 1942, Major General Irving Phillipson was put in charge of the Army Emergency Relief efforts, which raised funds for injured soldiers and their families. During his time as the head of the AER, the organization raised more than $20 million. His leadership of the AER also led to the most exciting event to hit Dowagiac for several decades.

Warner Brothers produced the Irving Berlin musical “This Is the Army” for the Army Emergency Relief with all proceeds going to the project. As head of the AER, Phillipson was instrumental in engineering this production. While the movie had premiers in big cities on the coasts, the Midwest Premier did not happen in Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee or any other big city — it premiered in Dowagiac.

Phillipson never did forget his hometown and he arranged for the Midwest Premier of “This Is the Army” to be at the Century Theater in Dowagiac on Sept. 29, 1943.

Dowagiac rolled out the red carpet for the event. According to the Daily News, “Strictly speaking, this is a homecoming celebration in General Phillipson’s honor. But the observance has grown to more than that, with a visiting battalion (700 soldiers) from Fort Custer.

The army spread itself to make the observance the biggest in Dowagiac’s history, sending the soldiers and all their equipment here to parade, stage a band concert, assist in the dedication of the Veterans of Foreign Wars honor roll, inspect Dowagiac’s war plants, and to strut its stuff before the eyes of curious and interested citizens and admiring school children.”

Also in attendance was Major General Henry Aurand, who was the general in command of the sixth service area of Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. This was a high ranking official to make it to Dowagiac.

The movie premiere went off without a hitch and all proceeds from the film went to the AER, in the amount of $2,300. The Daily News noted that “the kids had six hours of thrills that they will remember all their lives, and the adults had just such a day as the army and its citizenry hoped they would have — interesting, exciting and thrilling, too.”

It noted that several thousand people were in town with residents of nearby towns literally following the troops from Fort Custer into town.

Dowagiac shot “a long way over its war bond quota in a climactic day of sales that included free rides in jeeps, trucks and a tank to bond purchasers. Fully $10,000 worth were sold at the ride booth and the campaign total went to $611, 909.50 as against a quote of $550,000.”

It was a grand day indeed.

Major General Phillipson retired at the end of 1944 and worked in the private sector in New Jersey and died in 1955.

The museum has a decent collection related to his military service, including letters from MacArthur and General Dwight Eisenhower, which can be seen at the museum through the end of 2017.

Steve Arseneau is the director of the Dowagiac Area History Museum. He resides in Niles with his wife, Christina, and children, Theodore and Eleanor.