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New U.S. Senator Hagel Exhibit: Diplomatic and Fact-Finding Missions

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Hagel (left) and others in the delegtion in the mountains of Afghanistan, 2008

A new exhibit, U.S. Senator Hagel: Diplomatic and Fact-Finding Missions, running from September 12, 2017 through January 5, 2018 is open on the lower level of Criss Library.

During his twelve years in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Hagel made close to fifty foreign trips and visited dozens of countries. Hagel’s membership on the Foreign Relations Committee and longtime personal interests made him particularly attuned to international affairs and ready to engage with foreign leaders. Most of his trips were Congressional Delegations, or CoDels, in which members of Congress visited with leaders in one or more countries.

The exhibit is drawn from the travel files in the U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel Archives. They are rich with a variety of information, including briefing books, maps, and photographs. There is also a variety of letters including thank you notes and notes from Hagel to the parents of U.S. Servicemembers Hagel met while abroad.

UNO alum Chuck Hagel served as a soldier in Vietnam, a U.S. Senator (NE - R) for twelve years (1997 - 2009), and a U.S. Secretary of Defense for two (2013 - 2015). When he left the U.S. Senate, he donated his records to UNO. They became the U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel Archives.