Miami Valley Military History Museum

10/22/2026

Among the uniforms we one that we've been looking for, for more than 20 years – a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) uniform. This one is named! Robert Fredrich Gustav Dorste was born in Ronneburg, Sachsen (Saxony), Germany on Cgristmas Eve, 1846. His family immigrated to America, landing in New Orleans, and then taking a riverboat to Saint Louis, Missouri. When the Civil War started, his father August joined a Missouri artillery regiment while Robert enlisted in Company K of the 43rd Illinois Infantry. August fought in the one battle our Curator's home town experienced, the battle of Cape Girardeau, while Robert fought in several battles including the battle of Shiloh. He was severely wounded in the leg – his story is in the photos. He died in November, 1935.

10/22/2026

Monday we received an amazing selection of uniforms, although we'd have much preferred to get them under other circumstances. A longtime collector in Indiana was killed this summer in a freak mowing accident and his widow was looking for a good home for some of his artifacts. There may be more coming after she returns in the spring, but we're extremely thankful for this portion. Shown here is a small part of the new items....there's some reproductions of the Civil War and a SpanAm, but the remainder are authentic. Thanks to Bob1 for driving to IN to get these, and to Chuck for facilitating us receiving them!

10/20/2026

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This week in the Museum’s Documentary Series, step back into 1983 and Operation Urgent Fury. 🇺🇸

This 44-minute documentary takes you inside the U.S. military operation in Grenada, from the urgent mission to protect American medical students to the challenges faced on the ground and the hard-won victory that followed. Discover how the operation ultimately helped shape the way future U.S. military missions were planned and carried out.

🎬 Showing October 20–24 at 2:30pm
Included with Museum admission as scheduled.

Come for the documentary, then stay and explore the history throughout the Museum!

10/20/2026

Ohio Department of Veterans Services Social Media & Community Manager and Public Information Officer Ryan is with us today doing interviews for the Veterans Hall of Fame - we're always glad to support this program!

10/19/2026

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10/19/2026

Tuesday, 20 October, MVMHM will be CLOSED while we host the Ohio Department of Veteran Services as they conduct interviews for the Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2027. We will reopen Wednesday, 21 October for normal operations. We apologize for any inconvenience.

10/19/2026

Occasionally MVMHM staff will take short "field trips" to retrieve an artifact, but today was more of an expedition - our Curator made a 250 mile round trip into a sparsely populated portion of Indiana to receive this WWII Japanese Army Type 93 NCO binocular and case.

10/18/2026

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10/17/2026

MVMHM friend and supporter Carolyn brought us some more American Red Cross treasures yesterday, including a small group from Rose Ritterman who served with the ARC in Europe during World War II. There's also a few pieces from her husband, Bernard Novick, who served as an officer in the Quartermaster Corps in the war. Thanks, Carolyn!

10/17/2026

This is a scarce Home Front item from Fort Wayne, Indiana; radio station WGL dropped these flyers over the city to announce the end of the war as both local newspapers were on strike at the time - thanks again, Amber!