Telling the story of Americans in Wartime

The National Museum of Americans in Wartime is moving ever closer to finding a permanent home.
NMAW President and CEO Craig Stewart said the museum, which is dedicated to telling the story of Americans’ courage and sacrifice in wartime and the ways in which the nation’s wars have changed the lives of the nation’s citizens, is scheduled to open Nov. 11, 2012.
“The museum will honor those who serve and the people who stepped up and to educate others about their sacrifices,” he said.
Stewart said that museum trustees are considering three Northern Virginia locations for the facility and should have a decision about its location in the near future.
“A Prince William County site is definitely a leading contender,” he said.
NMAW Board of Trustees Chairman Allan Cors, who is also the founder and president of the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles, began laying the groundwork for the NMAW nearly 25 years ago when he began collecting military vehicles.
“He was always a collector, always fascinated by military history,” said Stewart.
Today, about 110 of Cors’ military vehicles dot the landscape at the museum’s temporary home in Nokesville. For more than a decade, Cors has hosted an open house at the location, allowing invited guests to climb in and of the vehicles, and even take a ride in a tank. This year’s open house was held Oct. 24 and 25, and drew about 2,000 people to the site.
“The open house came about to show the vehicles and to share the stories of those who served,” said Stewart.
And hearing those personal stories led Cors to make an important decision about the mission of the NMAW.
“The focus will be on the personal story,” said Stewart. “Allan started being touched by those stories.”
The museum will cover all branches of the U.S. armed forces and the conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries, including World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and Iraq/Afghanistan.
Like all museums, the NMAW will feature exhibits and plaques that will provide visitors with information about what they will see. It will also include photos and recordings from veterans who fought with the equipment. Visitors will encounter those stories both inside and outside, in combat landscapes, multimedia experiences and computer interactives, Stewart continued.
“Those stories will constantly be changing,” he added.
For more information on the museum, visit its Web site at nmaw.org.