What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm Saturday 9am - 4pm

Mississippi Armed Forces Museum

Name: Mississippi Armed Forces Museum
Address: Building 850, Forrest Avenue W, Hattiesburg, MS, 39407, US
Telephone: +16015582757
Price range: Not Applicable
Rating: 5

Home
United States
Hattiesburg, MS
Mississippi Armed Forces Museum

Call Directions Website

Mississippi's Official Military History Museum
(1)

The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum is proud to serve as the military history museum for the state of Mississippi. MAFM aims to educate the public about Mississippi’s role in military history, while honoring the service of both Mississippi veterans and those who have trained in Mississippi during times of war. Visit MAFM today, located approximately 10 miles south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center.

10/16/2026

✨✨Volunteer Opportunity✨✨

Are you looking forward to curling up with a blanket as the weather cools? Do you enjoy learning new historical facts? Are you a teacher looking for extra credit hours for your students? We need your help!

The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum has partnered with the Center for Digital Humanities - USM to host MAFM materials that need transcription. The public is welcome and encouraged to participate in helping bring these documents to life by assisting in writing transcripts.

What Do You Need to Participate?
- an internet connection
- a laptop/tablet
- a comfortable place to sit

This volunteer opportunity can be done at home, at school, or on the road, and requires no commitment. If you can do one page, or fifteen, your contribution will help make materials more accessible for researchers.

To sign up, please visit https://www.ms-digital-hub.com/transcription

10/07/2026

, October 7, 2001, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, Operation Enduring Freedom began. American and British forces conducted airstrikes on Taliban and Al Qaeda training sites and positions in Afghanistan, soon followed by extensive ground operations.

Over the next 13 years, missions under the banner of Operation Enduring Freedom took place against Al Qaeda and Islamist forces in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Horn of Africa, and Trans Sahara Africa as part of the wider Global War on Terrorism.

U.S. and NATO operations under the title of Operation Enduring Freedom continued until December 31, 2014. Subsequent operations in Afghanistan were renamed Operation Freedom’s Sentinel until final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces in August 2021.

From the collection: Plaque made by Afghan stonecutters for Combined Special Operations Center on Forward Operating Base Robinson in Helmand Province Afghanistan. SFC Christopher L. Robinson was the first Mississippi Army National Guard Soldier KIA in Afghanistan on March 25, 2006. [2020.011.001]; Operation Enduring Freedom manual issued to Major Michael L. Green, originally of Gautier, Miss. KIA in Afghanistan in 2008. [2011.019.003]

10/01/2026

Happy International Coffee Day! ☕

Coffee has long been an important part of military rations and daily life. During World War I, the U.S. military procured millions of pounds of instant, or “soluble,” coffee for troops overseas. Small tins of powdered coffee could be prepared with hot water, providing soldiers with a quick and familiar beverage in the field. Coffee remained a staple in military rations, eventually being packaged in individual packets for convenient preparation in the field.

From the collection: Barrington Hall Soluble Coffee Tin from World War I [1991.005.001]; Coffee Instant Type II Packet, ca. 1960s; Photograph of Mississippi National Guard members, inscribed “Coffee Break,” ca. 1950s [2019.037.015]

09/27/2026

On this Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day, MAFM recognizes the mothers and families that have lost a loved one while in service to the United States Armed Forces. Since 1936, the last Sunday in September has been a day of observance to honor the nation’s Gold Star Mothers and their loss and sacrifice.

MAFM is honored to have Mississippi’s first Gold Star Families Memorial Monument installed on its grounds, recognizing and paying respect to Mississippi’s fallen heroes and their families each day.

09/24/2026

Work is still ongoing with the installation of new boilers, new air conditioning units, and new water lines connecting to all of our HVAC within our museum. We appreciate your patience during this time and will provide updates as the project continues. We do not have an estimated date for reopening yet, but provide you with one as soon as we know more.

We have also had a few messages from followers asking how they can continue to support the museum during this time. We encourage those that want to support our mission to visit: https://armedforcesmuseum.org/make-a-donation/

and you can also shop in our online store:
https://armedforcesmuseum.org/museum-store/

Thank you all for your continued patience and support!

09/22/2026

The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum remains temporarily closed for ongoing HVAC renovations.

We truly appreciate your patience and continued support as we work to improve our facilities and enhance the museum experience for all of our future visitors. We can’t wait to welcome you back once these improvements are complete!

📲 Keep an eye on our social media for project progress and reopening announcements.

09/18/2026

In observation of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, MAFM is sharing the story of James Cecil Bufkin of Lucedale, Mississippi, who was a prisoner of war during World War II.

Lieutenant Bufkin, co-pilot of a B-17 heavy bomber, was flying with the 548th Bomb Squadron, 385th Bombardment Group, 8th U.S. Air Force, on a bombing mission from Suffolk, England, to Münster, Germany, when his plane was shot down by German fighters on November 11, 1943. After bailing out over Holland, a Dutch family found Lieutenant Bufkin and one of the plane's gunners. They gave Bufkin and the gunner civilian clothes and placed them on a train to help them travel back to England. They were eventually caught, however, after a German military police officer asked to see their papers.

Bufkin and the gunner were separated, with Bufkin ending up in the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft I near Barth, Germany. He remained there until V-E Day on May 8, 1945.

From the collection: Photograph of James Cecil Bufkin [2020.008.050]; Telegram sent to Bufkin’s father nothing him as Missing In Action, November 1943 [2020.008.068]; Telegram sent to Bufkin’s father nothing him as a Prisoner of War, December 1943 [2020.008.069]; Postcard sent from Bufkin while imprisoned at Stalag Luft I, January 28, 1945 [2020.008.079]

09/12/2026

Have you ever wished that you could just type in a word and the document you’re looking for would appear? Well, the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum collections are one step closer to being like Google.

The Terral and Smith Family Papers have been transcribed, and the transcriptions are now uploaded to the Mississippi Digital Library . To search the papers via keyword, go to the MDL Search Tool, and type in the word, name, or phrase you are looking for.

09/05/2026

“Tittle-tattle will lose the battle.”

In the fall of 1942, Camp Shelby post headquarters prohibited unofficial or personal photography on post in accordance with Public Law 627.

P.L. 627 prohibited unauthorized photography on any naval ship, port or military base, post, or camp within the territory of the United States until the end of the war.

While we were able to find at least one example of unofficial photography from 1944 in our collections, this sheds some light on the lack of personal images from bases and why most of what we see in archives are from the Signal Corps.

From the collection: The Reveille, pg. 8, Vol. II No. 37, dated September 23, 1942 [2015.010.001]; Man sitting on crate in front of a building at Camp Shelby, 69th Infantry Division, circa May 1944 [2013.052.003]

09/02/2026

in 1945, Japanese delegates signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the American battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) in Tokyo Bay, officially bringing World War II to a close.

Moments after the surrender ceremony had concluded, in a further show of dominance, hundreds of American B-29s and carrier-borne aircraft soared low over Tokyo Bay in a massive final show of Allied air power and victory.

Images: General Yoshijiro Umezu signs the surrender document on behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters; Sailors celebrate on the USS Missouri (BB-63) as aircraft pass overhead; Several flights of aircraft fly over ships anchored in Tokyo Bay (Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration)

Address

Building 850, Forrest Avenue W
Hattiesburg, MS
39407

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm
Saturday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+16015582757

Website

https://msarmedforcesmuseum.org/, https://armedforcesmuseum.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mississippi Armed Forces Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your museum to be the top-listed museum in Hattiesburg?