By Cyndy Cerbin

Construction of the new National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center outside Fort Benning began just eight months ago, but the museum’s first artifact is already in place. On 1 June, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle that once belonged to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division in Iraq, was moved to its spot of honor at the end of the museum’s signature exhibition, the Last 100 Yards ramp. There, it will symbolize the contributions Infantrymen have made in the recent desert wars.

Before its new assignment, the Bradley spent a few months at BAE Systems, getting repaired and freshly painted. In front of dozens of spectators, a crane carefully lifted the Bradley – decked out in an American flag – 20 feet into the air and gently lowered it onto a specially engineered slab. At 25 tons (and that is without its engine and other mechanical parts), the Bradley had to be put in place before the museum’s walls and roof went up.

It will be months before the rest of the museum’s impressive collection moves into the new $86 million facility. Construction began in January; opening is targeted for fall 2008. But significant progress is being made every day.

Steel erection on the 186,000-square-foot building began in April. “This phase of construction moves pretty quickly,” explained Batson-Cook Construction superintendent, Chuck Williams. “Once the walls go up you can’t see the work that’s being done inside, so it feels like progress is slower.”

 Passion for the ProjectCharlie Ball is Batson-Cook’s military affairs advisor and chief cheerleader for the project. He calls it “a heart thing, not a mind thing.” With proofreading help from his wife, he wrote a special mission statement for the project and posted it in the jobsite trailer. Every employee and subcontractor is asked to read and sign it, pledging his or her commitment to the special nature of the job.

“The hospitals, schools and banks we build are important,” Ball said, “but the National Infantry Museum is first among equals. It’s honoring the men who’ve fought for our freedom. This is the most important project Batson-Cook has done in its 93-year history.”

The workers understand that, too. Ball said the museum site is the cleanest jobsite you will ever visit – no cups, no cans, not even cigarette butts – because they treat the site like sacred ground. “I’ve even seen a guy field strip his cigarette and put the butt in his pocket.”

Ball said he is looking forward to bringing his wife, children and grandchildren to the finished museum. “But what I’m really anxious to see is the look on the face of the first World War II veteran who walks through that door, and the first E-1 who brings his girlfriend for a visit. Then I’ll know the mission’s been accomplished.”

 Parade Ground and World War II StreetAdjacent to the museum, on a 200-acre campus, is a seven-acre parade ground. Underneath, a maze of pipes will provide cost- and energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling for the museum. Although the parade ground likely will not be used for graduations or changes of command until the new museum opens, it will be finished this fall.    

For years, Soldiers have graduated from initial entry training on an expanse of asphalt better suited for a parking lot. Visitors have had to create their own parking spaces on grass and dirt, dodging trees and wayward parkers. Until recently, uncovered bleachers left them exposed to sun, rain and wind. When the new field is ready, graduates will parade onto  manicured, grass-covered grounds. Their families, who will park in a lot next to the museum, will sit in a stadium that includes concession stands and rest rooms.

Perhaps the most meaningful feature of the parade field will lie beneath the feet of the graduating Infantrymen. The rich Georgia clay will be seeded with soil from Yorktown, Gettysburg, Normandy and other historic battlefields. As these young men join the ranks of America’s Army, they literally will be standing on sacred soil fought for by the Soldiers who came before them. 

One feature of the grounds surrounding the museum, known as Patriot Park, is already finished. World War II Company Street is a collection of seven authentically restored buildings that represent a time when 16 million Americans joined the war effort. Among the buildings is a chapel that was moved from the Harmony Church area of Fort Benning. The chapel has already been used for memorial services and reunions, and will be available for weddings and other ceremonies.

In the barracks, bunks, lockers and gun racks line the walls. The platoon sergeant’s office carries the name of SFC (Ret) Phillip Liparoto, an Infantryman who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. A picture of his young family sits on the desk, along with a log book and a pack of cigarettes. A rifle and handgun stand in the corner and his uniform hangs in the locker. A ceremony unveiling the newly equipped platoon sergeant’s office was held in June. Liparoto, who had just turned 92 years old, reclaimed his responsibility for looking after all the young recruits in the barracks.

Across from the barracks stands the mess hall. It, too, can be used for special events. Rounding out the living history site are a supply room, an orderly room and the headquarters and sleeping quarters used by GEN George S. Patton before his deployment to North Africa.

 

 

Galleries

Late this year, the existing Infantry museum on Fort Benning will close as its artifacts are prepared for the new facility. Exhibits will not be built until next year, but designers have been developing their plans for more than two years already. Senior exhibit designer Brent Johnson is putting the finishing touches on The Last 100 Yards ramp, an exhibit he calls his career high point.

The ramp, 30 feet wide and 100 yards long, will give visitors an intensive and interactive overview of the Infantry’s 233-year history as they begin their trek through the museum. The first stop will be Redoubt #10, where Alexander Hamilton’s triumph opened the way for American victory in the War for Independence. Next, Union troops can be seen taking the bridge at Antietam, where staunch Confederate defenders have been forced to retreat. Visitors will walk through a bombed-out building at Soisonne and meet Soldiers scaling the daunting cliffs of Omaha Beach. A Huey helicopter drops off troops at Landing Zone X-Ray and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle at the top of the ramp bears witness to the successes of the mechanized ground war in Desert Storm.   

 “People everywhere will be talking about this exhibit,” said Serena Furman, project manager for Christopher Chadbourne and Associates. “It will put you in the middle of warfare. Smoke hanging in the trees, Soldiers whose faces reveal both fear and bravery, a cacophony of chaos and cannon fire and bombs bursting.”

At the end of the ramp, visitors will find they have risen a full story. Here they may enter the Fort Benning gallery, where they will learn what it takes to turn a young man into a warrior. A wide staircase returns them downstairs to the grand hall, from where they can select the era galleries they wish to visit. In the World War I gallery, they will trudge through a narrow trench and use a periscope to see how close the enemy is. In the Vietnam gallery, the heat, humidity and hidden faces of the Viet Cong bring jungle combat to life. All of the galleries feature interactive combat maps, where visitors can pinpoint the locations of battles in which their fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers fought.

In addition to the era galleries, the museum will feature a Hall of Valor, where visitors can learn about the medals awarded Infantrymen, and find the citations of any Medal of Honor recipient in an interactive kiosk. There also will be a Ranger Hall of Honor acknowledging the heroics of this elite branch of Infantry.

A gallery, unique to the Infantry museum, will pay tribute to the wives, mothers and children of Infantrymen. Through their eyes, visitors will learn that a family’s sacrifice is no less significant than the Soldier’s is.

A comprehensive visit to the new National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center could take two or three hours, depending upon level of interest. A themed restaurant and a gift shop fully stocked with books, clothing, toys and souvenirs will offer visitors a chance to reenergize. Museum guests will not want to miss the 3-D IMAX theater, the only IMAX in Georgia outside Atlanta.

 Fund Raising

 Although construction is well on its way, the National Infantry Foundation is still working to reach its fund raising goal. About $70 million has been raised toward the projected cost of $86 million. $26 million has come from federal and state governments; the rest has come from businesses, foundations and individuals. Soon, the foundation will take the campaign to the grass roots level, where the public can become founding members of the new museum by, among other things, purchasing a brick or granite paver to honor a loved one.

            “We’ve been extremely pleased with the response we’ve gotten from major potential donors,” National Infantry Foundation Chairman and President MG (Ret) Jerry White said. “But we still have a long way to go. We know there are people all across the country that are just as passionate about honoring Infantrymen as we are. We need their help.”

From the start, it was the intent of the Foundation to raise half the necessary funds from the community and the state of Georgia, and the other half from a national campaign. To date, $39 million has come from local donors and $31 has come from outside Georgia. Among those who have donated $1 million or more are the Seoul-based Samsung Corporation (in conjunction with the Korean government), Texas billionaire Ross Perot, and soft drink giant Coca-Cola.

MG White is especially touched by donations that come from retired and active military. “Soldiers don’t make much money, not even after retirement,” White said. “So their gifts speak volumes about the need for this museum.” At least one check was mailed by a Soldier serving in Iraq. “You’d think a museum back home, no matter how deserving, would be the last thing on his mind,” White said. “But this is the kind of Soldier we’re doing this for.”

To become a founding contributor to the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Patriot Park, log onto www.nationalinfantryfoundation.org, or call the Foundation at 706-653-9234.

 Reprinted from Infantry Bugler