For 232 years the United States Army has been on the frontlines in the battle to preserve and protect our most cherished ideals of freedom and democracy. In times of war, Soldiers have shielded the nation from harm; in times of peace, they have shaped the progress and prosperity of our nation. Their history is our history, told from a unique and remarkable perspective that is at times triumphant, at times desperate. Through learning about this extraordinary history, we can better understand the bonds that unite us as Americans and prepare for the future.
For too long, the Army – the nation’s oldest and largest military service, and the only military service without its own national museum – has lacked a fitting place to tell its story and to pay tribute to an estimated 30 million men and women who have served in its ranks from colonial times to the present. The National Museum of the United States Army will tell that story and will recognize the service and sacrifice of the nation’s Soldiers. In an unusual collaboration, Army officials, historians, educators, architects, and exhibit planners are joining forces to create a unique visitor experience just a short distance from the nation’s capital. The National Museum project office is working on a preferred site at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as the home of the new National Army Museum.
The museum will create a special partnership between the American people and the Army. The Army will provide roughly one-third of the total project cost and will help fund the operation of the National Museum, while the Army Historical Foundation, one of the nation’s most respected organizations for preserving and celebrating the Army’s history, is spearheading the effort to build the museum.
WE THEREFORE RESOLVE to urge the Administration and Congress to:
- Support funding of a facility suitable to house the National Museum of the United States Army