The Cold War | Teacher Seminars In Person

Veterans Legacy Program Seminar: The Cold War: US Civilian and Military Intelligence and Global Affairs from 1941 to 2011 is a weeklong PD event for up to 40 K–12 teachers at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, VA. World War II brought a revolution in the means and capabilities of US intelligence in White House decision making and on the battlefield. The all-source intelligence failure at Pearl Harbor was followed, only a few months later, by the US Navy’s intelligence success at Midway and, soon, intelligence achievements for the US Army in North Africa and Europe. Although the challenges would vary in the Cold War, the 1990s, and 9/11 period, US civilian and military intelligence would continuously seek to innovate to meet them. This seminar will examine the value of the products of the US intelligence system at key moments from Pearl Harbor through the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the contribution of allied services, and the consequences of how commanders-in-chief and battlefield commanders used, misused, or ignored this intelligence on the ever-changing battlefield, both political and military.

Offered in partnership with the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), a division of the US Department of Veterans Affairs

Application Information

Interested K–12 teachers should complete an application to be considered. Applications will be reviewed by Gilder Lehrman Institute and National Cemetery Administration staff. The deadline to submit an application is March 7, 2025. Selected teachers will be notified the week of April 7, 2025.

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Timothy Naftali, Lead Scholar

Timothy Naftali, formerly a clinical professor of public service at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, clinical professor of history in NYU’s College of Arts and Science, and director of NYU’s undergraduate public policy program, joined Columbia University in July 2023 as a senior research scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs. Naftali, whose book Khrushchev’s Cold War with Aleksandr Fursenko won the Royal United Services Institute’s Duke of Westminster’s medal for military literature in 2007, is a pioneer in the study of modern international and espionage history and a well-recognized presidential historian. 

Jermain Corbin, Master Teacher

Jermain Corbin is a master teacher with the Gilder Lehrman Institute and has worked in Boston Public Schools since 1999. He currently teaches 6th, 7th, and 8th grade history at the James F. Condon K–8 School in South Boston. Jermain has master’s degrees in history, secondary education, and American studies. He is also a twelve-year veteran of the Massachusetts National Guard and has served combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a member of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Part of the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), a division of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Legacy Program commemorates our nation’s veterans through the discovery and sharing of their stories. VLP encourages students and teachers at the university and K–12 level around the country to immerse themselves in the rich historical resources found within NCA national cemeteries. Participants research veterans interred in national cemeteries and develop educational tools that increase public awareness of veteran service and sacrifice.

Founded on Memorial Day 2016, the Veterans Legacy Program has established itself as a leading model of community engagement. Partners from across the country have created VLP products and events that reflect the unique impact of veterans on their local community.

Please find more information on and resources from the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s work with VLP here.