The Portage County Public Library in Stevens Point will host “Working Warriors: Military Life Beyond Combat,” a traveling exhibit from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum through Friday, Feb. 12. The exhibit opened Wednesday, Jan. 13.

The exhibit showcases the hidden three quarters of the military, the 75 percent of the United States armed forces in non-combat roles, those who give soldiers their practical haircuts, and fix their engines, clothes and teeth. The exhibit features a 14-banner display.

The exhibit is on display at the Main (downtown) Branch of the Portage County Public Library, 1001 Main St., Stevens Point, on the second floor. People will be able to explore the exhibit anytime the library is open. The library’s regular hours are Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5p.m.

Additionally, the library will host a Working Warriors Family Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, to highlight the exhibit.

Children, parents and grandparents are encouraged to come and stay for 15 minutes or the whole time. There will be crafts, easy and difficult scavenger hunts, and other activities for kids and adults. Refreshments will be served.

“We’re excited to be able to bring this enlightening exhibit to central Wisconsin,” said Eddie Glade, public services librarian. “I didn’t realize until I saw this exhibit how much ‘ordinary’ work is needed to ensure the troops on the ground have what they need to defend our country. ‘An army marches on its stomach,’ as the saying goes.”

The Portage County Public Library provides equal opportunity to access information, high-quality materials, programs and online resources to meet the needs of the diverse community.

“Some things you can’t learn from books and documentaries,” Glade said. “Often, the best way to learn is discussing a subject with other people. We hope this display will give people the chance to do that.”

To get in on this continuing conversation, Glade encouraged people to stop by the library to see the display for themselves or bring family and friends to Family Night Jan. 28. For more information, contact the Portage County Public Library at 715-346-1544 or visit the Web site at www.pocolibrary.org.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s Marching Across the State traveling exhibits program features four exhibits that bring the stories and sacrifices of Wisconsin’s veterans to life. The program aims to make the museum’s exhibits available to a broader audience.

Universities, nonprofit groups and other venues can rent the traveling exhibits free or for a low cost through the museum. This program is funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum is a free public educational activity of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and is located at 30 W. Mifflin St., Madison, across the street from the State Capitol.

For more information about the program, visit www.wisvetsmuseum.com/exhibitions/traveling_exhibits or call 608 261-0542.

The Wisconsin Humanities Council include the Wisconsin Veterans Museum exhibit as part of its Working Lives Project. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhumanities.org.