FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — A new museum on Fort Cavazos is opening its doors to the public on Thursday, Sept. 19, offering a new look into the heart and history of the U.S. Army.
The National Mounted Warrior Museum, which is located just outside the main gate, completed Phase 1 construction. It offers visitors over 12,000 square feet of gallery space, over 1,000 square feet of temporary exhibit space, and a 4,900 square-foot rotunda.
According to its website, the museum celebrates the rich history of the Fort Cavazos Mounted Warrior units. It also displays the Army's core values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage throughout the narratives and themes explored inside the museum. There will also be an immersive gallery that features displays with tanks, tank destroyers, aircraft and modern-day fighting vehicles.
"It's really a mix of a traditional museum where a visitor sees artifacts, but it also incorporates things like video music, images, photographs, art, music in a very multimedia way that allows people to experience the past in different ways," said Charles Bowery Jr., executive director of the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
Overall, it's been in the works since 2011 and it's a collaborative effort between the U.S. Army and the National Mounted Warrior Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the Mounted Warrior story.
"They helped paint the picture of that rich history, the traditions of our armored force," said Fort Cavazos' Deputy Commanding General Brig. Gen. Geoff Van Epps. "The one that's the most personal to me are the ones that have to do with Iraq and Afghanistan. Those are the battlefields that I personally served on as members of the First Cavalry Division, one of the units here on Fort Cavazos. And so I can, I can see myself reflected in those exhibits, and I understand very well what the soldiers that those exhibits represent, what they went through, and what works, what we're trying to pass on to those who come visit the museum."
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There are plans to expand the museum and build educational and community facilities, but Army officials say they need to raise another $15 million in order to build that. The museum also said it is looking for volunteers.
The museum is free to the public. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Fort Cavazos location marks the third one in the country with the other two being in Fayetteville, N.C. and Columbus, Ga.
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