National Museum of the United States Army

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National Museum of the United States Army Celebrating over 250 years of Army history and honoring our nation’s Soldiers. We are excited and anxious to hear from you.

This state-of-the-art facility will tell the history of the Army through the stories of bravery, innovation, service, and sacrifice of the American Soldier. While this is an open forum, it's also a family friendly one, so please keep your comments and wall posts clean. In addition to keeping it family friendly, we ask that you follow our posting guidelines here. If you don't comply, your message will be removed:

-We do not allow graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments or submissions nor do we allow comments that are abusive, hateful or intended to defame anyone or any organization.

-We do not allow solicitations or advertisements. This includes promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency. Similarly, we do not allow attempts to defame or defraud any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency.

-We do not allow comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity.

-You participate at your own risk, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided. Also, the appearance of external links on this site does not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the Department of the Army or Department of Defense. We truly believe this will help us to better tell the Army Story. Check here often for news and information, and throw us a note on our wall!

This month marks the 85th anniversary of the 25th Infantry Division. what inspired their “Tropic Lightning” nickname?T...
10/14/2026

This month marks the 85th anniversary of the 25th Infantry Division. what inspired their “Tropic Lightning” nickname?

The U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division was activated in October 1941 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and saw action soon after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor that December. The division was sent to the Solomon Islands to relieve the U.S. Marines and seize the island of Guadalcanal.

The 25th ID fought impressively, driving out the remaining Japanese troops with remarkable speed. Their superior and swift performance in brutal jungle terrain, combined with their radio code word “lightning," they soon became known as “Tropic Lightning."

Learn more about the from the Pacific Theater in the Global War Gallery: https://www.thenmusa.org/exhibit/global-war/

Forged, tempered and toughened by the sea… Happy 251st Birthday, U.S. Navy! We'll see you on the gridiron for the game...
10/13/2026

Forged, tempered and toughened by the sea… Happy 251st Birthday, U.S. Navy! We'll see you on the gridiron for the game on December 13th!

Take a trip to America's Army Museum where history and adventure come alive!Explore rare artifacts in the landmark spe...
10/09/2026

Take a trip to America's Army Museum where history and adventure come alive!

Explore rare artifacts in the landmark special exhibition, "CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War" and check out our newest exhibit commemorating the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. "Steel and Stone: Engineering the Response to 9/11" explores how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters responded to the devastation at Ground Zero and the Pentagon.

Open daily with FREE admission. Learn more here: https://www.thenmusa.org/visit/

10/08/2026

U.S. Army Cpl. Alvin York wore this iconic olive-drab Model 1917 helmet during his actions in 1918 during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. York was then promoted to sergeant.

On , learn more in this brief clip about York’s helmet and his - coming from humble beginnings in Tennessee to his courageous actions.

Watch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yF8g6kGDJlc?si=_id56r_rO1dl4zGc

On , we recognize the historic 1st Rhode Island Regiment, established in 1778 with white, Native American, enslaved and...
10/05/2026

On , we recognize the historic 1st Rhode Island Regiment, established in 1778 with white, Native American, enslaved and free Black men. The regiment served throughout the and they carried this regimental flag through the Philadelphia Campaign, the winter at Valley Forge, and the battles of Rhode Island and Yorktown.

Soldiers presented this flag to the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1784. Made of delicate silk, the faint outline of the state's symbolic rope-entwined anchor can still be seen at its center.

One of only a few surviving -era flags, and an invaluable piece of history, the governor provided special permission for the flag to leave the state for the first time since 1784 for public display in the Museum’s special exhibition “A CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War“.

See this one-of-a-kind flag and explore America’s history through the objects and who were there.

Open daily with free admission: www.thenmusa.org/visit.

"Six One going down." – Chief Warrant Officer 4 Clifton “Elvis” Wolcott’s last radio transmission, Battle of Mogadishu, ...
10/03/2026

"Six One going down." – Chief Warrant Officer 4 Clifton “Elvis” Wolcott’s last radio transmission, Battle of Mogadishu, 1993.

The twisted metal of the MH-60 Black Hawk engine from the helicopter with the call sign “Super 6-1” conveys the ferocity of one of the deadliest U.S. firefights since the .

When militias loyal to warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid attacked United Nations peacekeepers serving in Somalia, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Les Aspin directed the deployment of a joint special operations task force to Somalia. The mission for Task Force Ranger was to capture Aidid and his key lieutenants.

During their seventh mission on October 3, 1993, Task Force Ranger entered Aidid’s stronghold in Mogadishu. With 19 aircraft, 12 vehicles, and 160 personnel, they captured their two targets quickly; however, armed Somali militiamen and civilian supporters responded from all over the city. When the Somalis shot down two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, U.S. ground forces converged on those locations.

The Black Hawk “Super 6-1” was the first helicopter lost, and pilots Chief Warrant Officer 4 Clifton Wolcott and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Donovan Briley were killed. U.S. Army Rangers, Delta Force operators, and rescue teams fought against overwhelming odds to secure the site. The Battle of Mogadishu went on for 15-18 brutal hours. In all, 18 Americans were killed and 73 injured. Two Soldiers, Master Sgt. Gary Gordon and Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

The helicopter crash, also known as "Black Hawk Down," is considered to be the event that changed the mission from a raid to a rescue attempt, and it foreshadowed future joint special operations in the Global War on Terrorism.

The helicopter wreckage was recovered in Mogadishu in 2012 and was repatriated to the United States in 2013.

See this Army artifact and learn more in the Changing World Gallery.
https://www.thenmusa.org/exhibit/changing-world/

From a discussion about Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson's extraordinary victory at New Orleans at the close of the to a book ...
10/01/2026

From a discussion about Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson's extraordinary victory at New Orleans at the close of the to a book talk on the epic story of the U.S. Army's Task Force 2-7 campaign into Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom, there is much to explore in October with FREE in-person and virtual events at the Museum.

Watch our video and visit the events calendar to learn more: www.thenmusa.org/events.

"Against so powerful an attack, we cannot hope to make a very long resistance." – Lt. Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis, Octo...
09/28/2026

"Against so powerful an attack, we cannot hope to make a very long resistance." – Lt. Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis, October 1781.

A powerful American and French expeditionary force of roughly 5,700 Continental regulars, 3,100 American militiamen and 7,000 French soldiers marched south from the New York area toward Virginia in the summer of 1781, executing one of the largest and most complex troop movements of the .

Their objective was to trap Lt. Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis, whose British army had fortified Yorktown. The allied forces arrived and began a systematic siege in 1781. Meanwhile, Cornwallis anxiously awaited British naval reinforcement and resupply that, thanks to the French control of the Chesapeake, never came.

Learn more about the Yorktown Campaign through engaging audiovisual storytelling and rare artifacts in the special exhibition "CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War." Included in your FREE Museum admission. https://www.thenmusa.org/exhibit/special-exhibition-gallery/

Today is Gold Star Mother's and Family's Day—when we remember and honor the surviving families of fallen service members...
09/27/2026

Today is Gold Star Mother's and Family's Day—when we remember and honor the surviving families of fallen service members.

Learn more about the lapel buttons worn in memory of their loved ones who died in service to the nation.

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1775 Liberty Drive
Fort Belvoir, VA
22060

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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