On November 11, 2020, the National Museum of the United States Army opened at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The museum is “the first comprehensive and truly national museum to capture, display and interpret over 245 years of Army history…as told through the eyes of Soldiers.”
My wife Roz and I visited the new Army museum just a few days after its official opening. It is a magnificent structure but, more importantly, the displays are a fitting tribute to the millions of men and women who fought in the Army and alongside it. The presentations are masterful works of art, proceeding from the earliest beginnings of our nation to the present battles around the world and domestically. Some of the mannequins are so realistic I had to pause at several of them for quite a while to admire the superb craftsmanship.
As Roz and I are both retired Army, as are our fathers and grandfathers, the museum brought back many memories of our units and stations around the world, as well as the sacrifices of our children. But it also reminded us of how awful war is and the tremendous destruction of lives and treasure that accompany it.
Overall, the museum left us with a renewed awareness of the sacrifices of so many, in and out of uniform, that have made our Army great and have protected our democracy for nearly 250 years.
Don't miss it!
Maj. Gen. (Ret) Don Riley
Senior Advisor
A member of the Dawson team since 2010, Don Riley spent 37 years in the Army Corps of Engineers and served as Deputy Commanding General from 2008 to 2010.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dawson & Associates.