Yuma, Arizona - On Wednesday, November 30th, Bill Heidner, Museum Curator of the Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Center, will present “From Patton to Victory: Dynamic Army Training in the Southwest” at Yuma County Libraries. Perhaps the most celebrated general officer of World War II, General George S Patton established the Desert Training Center, with Yuma as its southern anchor. Over 1.5 million Army troops came to the Desert Southwest to undergo training that ultimately brought about victory.
There is no charge to attend.
Wednesday, November 30th @ 10:00 a.m.
Main Library, 2951 S 21st Drive
(928) 782-1871
Wednesday, November 30th @ 3:00 p.m.
Foothills Library, 13226 E South Frontage Road
(928) 342-1640
William Heidner (retired Army Sgt. 1st Class) is the Museum Curator for the Museum Activity and Heritage Center of U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, a position he has held for many years. In 2014, he was selected as the U.S. Army Garrison-Yuma Employee of the Year.
Heidner was recently published in the findings for the 9th International Conference on Military Geosciences. His paper, “Preparing for War in the Desert Southwest: From the Desert Training Center to the Yuma Test Station (and Beyond)” is Chapter 3 of the book published by Springer Scientific titled Military Geosciences and Desert Warfare – Past Lessons and Modern Challenges (Editors McDonald, Eric V. & Bullard, Thomas).
The Main Library is located at 2951 S 21st Drive. For more information, call (928) 782-1871