US Army National Museum- "We Have a Story to Tell"

The National Museum of the United States Army under Design

“We Have a Story To Tell”

The US Army has never had a national museum to focus on the history and heritage of the American soldier. It has never had one central location where visitors could learn and appreciate the Army’s role in our nation’s development. This is about to change. The National Museum of the United States Army is now under design and is destined to become the most unique and compelling military museum experience in the country.

Located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, just south of the nation’s capital and minutes from Mount Vernon, the Army’s National Museum will portray and preserve the Army’s unique heritage, both as an institution and as one of the cornerstones of American democracy. The state-of-the-art facility will illustrate how the Army’s history is intricately interwoven through all aspects of the American experience. Through interactive exhibits, educational programs, and simulation displays, the Museum is expected to educate 750,000-1,000,000 million visitors annually.

According to Museum Director Judson E. Bennett, Jr., personal soldier accounts of service and sacrifice will offer visitors an invaluable perspective on how much our country owes its Army and its soldiers, past and present and future. “At a time when the Army’s role is becoming less apparent, the personal soldier accounts throughout the galleries of this world class Museum will help visitors better understand that the values of America’s soldiers—service, sacrifice, duty, initiative, ingenuity, resilience, honor, and courage—truly represent the most unique and distinguishing features of our national character,” Bennett explained.

The galleries will showcase selected materials from Army collections whose vast holdings include over 75,000 artifacts, 15,000 original drawings and paintings, film foot- age, documents of historic significance, and weapons and equipment. Artifacts and equipment will not be roped-off or displayed in dusty cabinets. Visitors will be able to load a musket, see through night vision goggles, and engage simulators that will let them experience what it is like to drive an Abrams M-1 Main Battle Tank or fly an Apache attack helicopter at nap-of-the-earth level, to cite just a few examples of the hands-on, interactive, and technological aspects planned for displays.

To construct The National Museum of the United States Army, Congress has directed that the Army join in partnership with the people of the United States. The Army is contributing $100 million to the project and providing a 41-acre construction site at Fort Belvoir, while the remaining $200 million is expected to come from the private sector. The Secretary of the Army has designated The Army Historical Foundation as the official fundraiser for the Capital Campaign for The National Museum of the United States Army. The foundation will lead the campaign in raising from among individual Americans, corporations and foundations the $200 million that will fund the 165,000 square foot main exhibit building, advanced technology exhibits, parade ground, amphitheatre, and memorial gardens.

When completed, The National Museum of the United States Army will be the capstone facility of the Army’s museum system—the one central location where visitors can learn and appreciate the Army’s role in our nation’s development. Museum Director Bennett emphasized the facility’s role in educating future generations of the impact Soldiers have had on the course of American history.

“It’s imperative that we pay tribute to them, and it’s essential that we preserve their legacy,” he said. “This tribute is long-overdue. The Army’s soldiers—past, present, and future—have a story to tell, and we are dedicated to creating the best military museum experience in the world to tell it,” Bennett concluded.

For more information on The National Museum of the United States Army, go to www.armyhistory.org .