Earlier this week I visited one of this nations newest military museums, the National Infantry Museum and Soldiers Center at Fort Benning, GA. Opened in 2009, its designers have taken some of the best ideas from some of our other newest military museums (most notably the National Marine Corps Museum and National Museum of the United States Air Force), added their own ideas, and created a unique and moving museum experience. Traditional military museums have been tended to be extremely hardware orientated, with lines of guns, tanks, planes, etc. Little attention is placed on the individual service members and their experiences, except for maybe their uniforms. But people relate best to other people, not hardware. And while hardware is certainly present, the emphasis here is on the story of the infantryman himself. This starts with the famous Follow Me! statue at the entrance, and continues to the first exhibit The Last 100 Yards. The title refers to the saying that while the whole Army contributes to the battle, it is the Infantry that charges the last 100 yards to close with the enemy. The museums souvenir book states: The Last 100 Yards ramp is the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Centers signature attraction. It gives the visitor an emotional and immersive introduction to the long history of the U.S. Army Infantry. At 100 yards long and 30 feet wide, it represents the Infantrymans role in battle. As you walk the 100 yards you are taken through infantry battles during the Revolution, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and finally what they call the Desert Wars. Going up this exhibit ramp was the most emotional museum experiences I have ever had. After an excellent exhibit on Ft Benning and the training there of Infantrymen, you descend to a circle of galleries that tell the Infantrys story from the Revolutionary War through today. There is also a Family Gallery that tells of the military family, again addressing all the people of the military. There is also an outdoor exhibit of a WW II Company Street, with barracks, mess hall, supply room, orderly room, chapel, and headquarters. Each has been restored and painted to its WW II appearance, a very small military version of Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI (where I worked while in college 40 years ago!) I have to say I love this museum, and it sets a high standard for future armed services museums to meet. If you have any interest in visiting military museums, YOU HAVE TO VISIT THIS ONE!
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 00:29:04 +0000
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