Military Museums
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I recently had the opportunity to tour the new United States Army Museum, which opened last year at Fort Belvoir in Alexandria, VA. It’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and accessible by metro bus from the Springfield Metro station on the Blue Line. Admission is free.
The museum moved me deeply. My spouse served 22 years in the U.S. Army before retiring as a major. She lived some of the very history captured on those walls. A trailblazer in her own right, she was the first Korean-born female U.S. Army officer to serve in Korea. That legacy echoes through the museum’s corridors.
Spanning 250 years of Army history, the collection walks you through America’s military evolution — from ragtag militias to global force. As a Civil War buff who’s visited most of the DC-area battlefields, I found myself drawn to the Revolutionary and Civil War halls, which capture the grit and chaos of a country torn and reborn. We didn’t have time to try the VR exhibit, which simulates a battlefield experience in startling clarity — “intense,” they say. Next time, for sure.
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US Army Museum[/caption]
🪖 National Museum of the United States Army – Fort Belvoir, VA
This is the official museum of the U.S. Army, opened on Veterans Day, November 11, 2020, and located just outside Washington, D.C. It’s the first museum to comprehensively tell the story of the Army’s entire history — from 1775 to today.
🧭 Highlights
Founding the Nation Gallery: Covers the Revolutionary War and early Army history.
Preserving the Nation Gallery: Civil War artifacts, including the “Napoleon” cannon.
Global War Gallery: WWII exhibits, including a Higgins boat from D-Day and the “Cobra King” Sherman tank.
Cold War & Changing World Galleries: Korea, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terror.
Army and Society Gallery: Explores the Army’s impact on American culture and innovation.
Medal of Honor Experience: Indoor and outdoor tributes to valor.
Experiential Learning Center: STEM-focused hands-on exhibits and VR battlefield simulations.
📍 Visitor Info
Address: 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060
Phone: (800) 506-2672
Website: thenmusa.org
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (Closed Christmas Day)
Admission: Free
Access: Reachable via Metro bus from the Springfield Metro station (Blue Line)
⚓ National Museum of the United States Navy – Washington, D.C.
on my bucket list for my next trip to DC
Located at the Washington Navy Yard, this is the flagship museum of the U.S. Navy, chronicling naval history from the American Revolution to modern operations.
🧭 Highlights
Civil War ironclads, WWII submarines, and Cold War artifacts
Full-size replica of the USS Fletcher bridge
Exhibits on polar exploration, naval aviation, and spaceflight
Outdoor displays include a 14-inch naval railway gun, Swift Boat, and artifacts from USS Maine
📍 Visitor Info
Address: 736 Sicard St SE, Washington, DC 20374
Phone: (202) 685-0589
Website: U.S. Navy Museum
Access: Located on an active military base — visitors may need to apply for a day pass or be escorted by someone with credentials
✈️ National Museum of the United States Air Force – Dayton, Ohio
This is the world’s largest military aviation museum, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It spans over 19 acres of indoor exhibits and features more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles.
🧭 Highlights
Presidential Aircraft Gallery: Tour planes used by JFK, Eisenhower, and Reagan
Space Gallery: Includes the Apollo 15 Command Module and NASA’s Crew Compartment Trainer
Cold War & Stealth Tech: See the B-2 Spirit, F-117 Nighthawk, and SR-71 Blackbird
Memphis Belle, Bockscar, and other legendary bombers
Interactive exhibits, STEM learning nodes, and a massive 3D theater
📍 Visitor Info
Address: 1100 Spaatz St, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH 45433
Phone: (937) 255-3286
Admission & Parking: Free
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day)
🪖 Military Museums Worth Traveling For
This visit sparked a deeper dive into other museums that carry the weight of war, memory, and identity — some stateside, some abroad, each revealing a different face of conflict.
🧬 National Museum of Health and Medicine – Silver Spring, MD
Military medicine through the ages, from battlefield surgeries to forensic identification.
🔗 medicalmuseum.health.mil | ☎️ (301) 319-3300
🛩️ Travis Air Force Base Aviation Museum – Fairfield, CA
Travis Air Force Aviation Museum
Another impressive museum. I had a private tour of the museum conducted by an air force retiree. The museum has a full scale mock Fat Boy Hiroshima bomb.
Airpower on display — C-5 Galaxy, B-52 Stratofortress, and stories from the Berlin Airlift to modern deployments.
🔗 travisheritagecenter.org | ☎️ (707) 424-5605
Located about 50 miles north of SF. One has to arrange access to the base in advance but the museum is worth a trip.
⚔️ Sites of Blood and Resolve: Battlefields of the Revolution and Civil War
Here are some places that blur the line between history and haunting.
🕊️ Along the Edge: Touring the Korean DMZ & Aegibong Peak
🧭 War Memorial of Korea – Seoul
I have toured this musuem many times over the years. I always come back with more knowledge about the Korean war.
Massive museum with over 33,000 artifacts
Features the “Statue of Brothers,” outdoor tanks, aircraft, and immersive exhibits
Address: 29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Nearest subway is Samgaki on the blue line
Phone: +82-2-709-3144
Hours: 9:30 AM–6:00 PM (Closed Mondays)
🇰🇷 Korean DMZ Tour
I have toured the DMZ a number of times over the years. I also taught classes on the DMZ for four months in 1982.
Visit infiltration tunnels, overlook North Korea from observatories, and stand at Dorasan Station awaiting reunification.
🔗 dmztours.com | Klook DMZ Tours
🏞️ Aegibong Peace Ecological Park – Gimpo, South Korea
This is the closet spot one can get to overlooking North Korea. Once a bloody battleground, now a tranquil ridge watching over the North. The observatory and memorial hall make this a place of reflection.
🔗 aegibong.or.kr | ☎️ +82-31-5186-4030
🇰🇷 2nd Infantry Division Museum – Camp Humphreys
Second ID Museum Camp Humphreys, Korea
I had the pleasure of getting a tour with the Director of the Museum, who retired from the Army Office of the Historian before taking charge of this impressive museum.
Patch by patch, battle by battle — this museum tracks the 2ID's legacy in Korea and beyond.
🔗 2ID Museum Overview | ☎️ +82-50-3357-4011
🧭 UN Memorial Cemetery – Busan
Honors 2,300 UN soldiers from 11 countries
Peaceful grounds with memorials and a Wall of Remembrance
Address: 93 UN Pyeonghwa-ro, Nam-gu, Busan
Hours: 9:00 AM–6:00 PM (May–Sept), 9:00 AM–5:00 PM (Oct–Apr)
🧭 Incheon Landing Operation Memorial Hall
Commemorates General MacArthur’s 1950 amphibious assault
Located in Jayu Park, Incheon
Includes panoramic views of Incheon Port and historical exhibits
🧭 Imjingak Park & Freedom Bridge – Paju
Symbolic site near the DMZ
Features war-damaged trains, POW exchange bridge, and peace ribbons
No special permissions required to visit
🧭 Cheorwon DMZ & Second Tunnel
Tour includes the North Korean Labor Party Building and Peace Observatory
Address: 1825 Taebong-ro, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do
Admission: ₩8,000
Tour Times: 9:30, 10:30, 1:00, 2:00 PM
🇻🇳 Vietnam War Battlefields Open to the Public
🌍 War Remnants Museum – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
A sobering look at the Vietnam War through Vietnamese eyes: Agent Orange, prison recreations, and chilling artifacts.
🔗 baotangchungtichchientranh.vn | ☎️ +84-28-3930-6664
🔫 Cu Chi Tunnels – Ho Chi Minh City
Comment: Very impressive and somber place. The Vietnamese defeated the US and the South Vietnamese Army largely through these network of tunnels that allowed them to send troops and supplies deep behind enemy lines. The US was never able to shut them down entirely, the tunnels were also too small for the average American GI to crawl through. End Comment
Guerrilla warfare beneath your feet — crawl through the tunnels, examine traps, and hear the stories of underground survival.
🔗 Cu Chi Tours by Les Rives | ☎️ +84-28-3794-8830
🧭 [Khe Sanh Combat Base – Quang Tri Province]
Site of the 1968 siege; includes museum and original fortifications
Tanks, helicopters, and bunkers left behind by U.S. forces
Often included in DMZ tours from Hue
🧭 [Vinh Moc Tunnels – Quang Tri Province]
Civilian shelter tunnels near the DMZ
Includes a memorial and small museum
Accessible via day trips from Hue
🧭 Hue Citadel & Imperial City
Scene of intense fighting during the 1968 Tet Offensive
UNESCO site with rebuilt structures and lingering scars
🧭 [Hamburger Hill – A Shau Valley]
Site of a brutal 1969 battle
Remote but accessible via guided tours from Hue
🧭 [Ia Drang Valley – Central Highlands]
First major U.S.–North Vietnamese engagement in 1965
Near Pleiku, often visited with local guides
🧭 [Hoa Lo Prison Museum – Hanoi]
“Hanoi Hilton” where American POWs were held
Includes exhibits on air war and John McCain’s imprisonment
Hours: 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
US Civil War Battlefields bolded I have toured
🗽 Revolutionary War Battlefields