| From a gallery of notable airborne personalities |
| Vietnam display |
| Panama Display |
| Panama Display from the rescue of Kurt Muse |
| The Main Entryway |
| From the North Carolina Veterans' exhibit |
| Looking up at the ceiling |
| The Pacific War gallery includes a theater |
| The display on the US intervention in the Dominican Republic |
The Army announced today that the North Post of Fort Belvoir, Va., will be the site of the National Museum of the U.S. Army (NMUSA), scheduled to open in June 2015. Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh approved the decision this week, which also marked the Army's 236th birthday.
"In presenting the Army's storied 236-year history, this long-overdue facility will offer the American people a unique opportunity to connect with our soldiers and better understand and appreciate their many and glorious stories," McHugh said.
"Now that a site for the Army's museum has been determined, the development of the museum's master plan can be finalized," said Judson Bennett, executive director of the NMUSA project office at Fort Belvoir. Building of the museum will be funded privately through the Army Historical Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Army's heritage.
Initial construction will include a multi-story, main museum building with exhibit halls, theater, Veterans' Hall, food service and retail areas, administrative areas, an experiential learning center and a lobby with visitor reception area.
The Army is currently the only service without a centralized museum. The Navy Museum is located at the Navy Yard in Washington D.C.; the Marine Corps Museum is located at the Marine Base Quantico in Prince William County, Va.; and the Air Force Museum is located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
In more than two decades of reporting from and about Afghanistan, nothing I have seen has brought so vividly to life what those long-ago battles were like. But what gives the exhibit an even more compelling dimension is that it is being held at a time when Britain and the United States, the two principal force-providers in the 42-nation coalition fighting the current conflict, are weighing whether there is a realistic hope of prevailing in the battle against al Qaeda and the Taliban, or whether the moment has come to call time on a conflict that has shown little sign, yet, of turning around.
The exhibit stays clear of advocacy on the current war. But if Britain’s army commanders had wanted to send a discreet signal of their apprehension, they could hardly have done better than to encourage the museum to frame the exhibition as it has. Rebecca Hubbard, the museum’s public relations chief, told me that the museum’s royal charter buttresses its independence, although its $8 million annual budget comes from the defense ministry. But it strains credulity to think the museum would not have consulted with its defense ministry patrons before proceeding.
What the exhibition’s designers had in mind seems clear enough. First, there is the poster quoting Field Marshal Roberts, who was imperial Britain’s most revered soldier. Then there is the first script that meets the visitor’s eye at the exhibition. “British imperial forces fought three wars in Afghanistan,” it says. “Currently this unforgiving battleground preys heavily on the minds of British politicians, soldiers and civilians alike, but the past has been largely forgotten. Afghanistan has a longer memory.”
The National Museum of the United States Air Force galleries present military aviation history, boasting more than 400 aerospace vehicles -- many rare and one-of-a-kind -- along with thousands of historical items and powerful sensory exhibits that bring history to life and connect the Wright brothers' legacy with today's stealth and precision technology. We invite you to take an online glimpse of our galleries. Click on a gallery name to see exhibits, including aircraft, engines, equipment and weapons of the USAF. The section also highlights special exhibits, current exhibits and restoration projects.
The tank was a British invention that changed warfare for ever when it was introduced in World War One – and Bovington has been the home of the tank ever since. From the Somme to Tiananmen Square or D-Day to Desert Storm the tank has played a part in shaping history – and it continues to do so today.
The Tank Museum is the only place where many of these rare and historic vehicles can be seen. Fresh from a £16m investment in new exhibitions & facilities, with almost 200 vehicles on display in 6 large halls, you will come face-to-face with tanks that have seen action in all the major wars of the 20th century.
Renowned historian, author and educator, Dr. Stephen Ambrose founded The National World War II Museum Foundation in New Orleans in 1991. The Museum, which opened on June 6, 2000, is the only museum in the United States that addresses all of the amphibious invasions or "D-Days" of World War II, honoring the more than 16 million Americans who took part in this global conflict.
The National World War II Museum opened its doors on the 56th anniversary of the Normandy invasion that liberated Europe. It is located in New Orleans, Louisiana because it was here that Andrew Higgins built the landing craft used in the amphibious invasions; the landing craft which President Eisenhower believed won the war for the Allies. The Museum stands as our country's tribute to the men and women who made the invasions in Europe, Africa and the Pacific theaters successful. It presents their stories to an international audience, preserves material for research and scholarship, and inspires future generations to apply the lessons learned from the most complex military operation ever staged.
Cowpens National Battlefield commemorates a decisive battle that helped turn the tide of war in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. On this field on January 17, 1781, Daniel Morgan led his army of tough Continentals, militia, and cavalry to a brilliant victory over Banastre Tarleton's force of British regulars. The battle at the "Cow Pens," one of only a few successful double envelopments in history, is recognized by historians as one of the most important of the American Revolution.
On January 28, 1942, fifty-three days after the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, the 8th Air Force was officially activated in the National Guard Armory on Bull Street in Savannah, Georgia.
In 1983, Major General Lewis E. Lyle, USAF Retired, a B-17 veteran of 70 combat missions during World War II, and with the help of other veterans, began planning a museum. The Museum would honor the men and women who helped defeat Nazi aggression by serving in or supporting the greatest air armada the world had ever seen—the 8th Air Force. These individuals pledged themselves to honor the courage and commitment of more than 350,000 members of the 8th Air Force. Of this number, 26,000 were killed in action and 28,000 became prisoners of war during World War II.
Museum planners traveled throughout the United States and Europe, visiting museums and talking with staff from these institutions. The very best elements found among these facilities were then combined to create a dramatic 90,000-square foot museum complex.
On May 14, 1996, to the applause of 5,000 8th Air Force veterans, their families, dignitaries, and supporters, the vision became a reality with the dedication of The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia, just west of Savannah.
The mission of the JFK Special Warfare Center and School Museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret significant historical property related to the history of special operations in the U.S. Army, including the Special Forces and Civil Affairs branches, the Ranger Regiment, the functional areas of Psychological Operations and Aviation, and its predecessor organizations from the American colonial period to the present; As an educational institution, the museum will support training and education for military and civilian personnel.
Highlights from History
The 91st Argyllshire Highlanders were raised in 1794. They served in the South Africa Peninsula, Waterloo and India.
The 93rd Sutherland Highlanders were raised in 1799. They saw service in New Orleans, Crimea (including Balaklava, where they earned the nickname of the Thin Red Line) and during the Indian Mutiny, where they won seven Victoria Crosses.
In 1881 the two regiments amalgamated to form The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's). After amalgamation, battalions of the regiment served in South Africa (Zululand), Boer War, India, and the Far East.
The Regiment had twenty six battalions in World War I and nine in World War II.
Since the Indian Mutiny, members of the Regiment have earned a further nine Victoria Crosses.
Since World War II the 1st Battalion has served in Palestine, Korea, British Guiana, Berlin, Suez, Cyprus, Malaya and Singapore, Borneo, Aden, Germany, Falkland Islands, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
On 21 May 2004, Mahdi militiamen engaged a convoy consisting of approximately 20 British troops from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 55 miles north of Basra. A squad from the Princess of Wales regiment came to their assistance. What started as an attack on a passing convoy ended with at least 35 militiamen dead and just three British troops wounded. The militiamen engaged a force that had restrictive rules of engagement prior to the incident that prevented them from returning fire. What ensued was an example of irregular warfare by coalition troops that achieved a tactical victory over a numerically superior foe with considerable firepower.
In May 2004, approximately 20 British troops in Basra were ambushed and forced out of their vehicles by about 100 Shiite militia fighters. When ammunition ran low, the British troops fixed bayonets and charged the enemy. About 20 militiamen were killed in the assault without any British deaths.
The bayonet charge appeared to succeed for three main reasons. First, the attack was the first of its kind in that region and captured the element of surprise. Second, enemy fighters probably believed jihadist propaganda stating that coalition troops were cowards unwilling to fight in close combat, further enhancing the element of surprise. Third, the strict discipline of the British troops overwhelmed the ability of the militia fighters to organize a cohesive counteraction.
The Pacific War Story includes some of the bloodiest battles ever fought by Americans. The story begins with the modernization of Japan and ther subsequent growing need for more natural resources. Japan's expansionary actions were met with trade embargos by several nations, most notably the United States. The U.S. Pacific Fleet based in Hawaii posed the biggest threat to Japan. As an attempt neutralize that threat, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The result -- declaration of war by the United States on Japan.