First Division Museum at Cantigny

04/24/2025

This isn’t your average cocktail hour. Join us at Cantigny as we mix fresh, seasonal ingredients with sharp technique to create drinks that stand out.

We start strong with a Lavender French 75—crisp, floral, and effervescent. Then, dive into the Gin Basil Smash—a drink that’s all about balance, precision, and the right ingredients. You’ll learn the craft firsthand, from start to finish.

Led by Cantigny’s Mixologist and Executive Chef, this workshop is designed to engage all five senses. You’ll work with fresh herbs, botanicals, and house-made elements while enjoying small bites selected to complement each drink.

🍸 Sensory Cocktail Experience: Garden to Glass
Fountain Garden
Thursday, May 1 · 6:00 PM
$100 per person
Space is limited. Registration required.
https://bit.ly/4cC5TgA

🗓️ Upcoming Sessions
June 5: Mezcal & Music
July 3: Sip & Sizzle
August 7: Locally Owned
September 4: Honey & Harvest
October 2: Scotch & Smoke

04/20/2025

Make History Part of Your Summer Plans!

School’s out, but the learning (and fun!) never stops at the First Division Museum. Our Museum Family Drop-In Program is back, and you’re invited!

📅 Fridays, June 6 – August 15 (No Drop-In on July 4)
⏰ 10 AM – 1 PM
📍 Meet in the First Division Museum lobby or Military Tank Park

Each week, we’ll explore different aspects of World War II with hands-on activities and plenty of fascinating history for all ages. Whether you're a history buff or just looking for a unique summer adventure, there’s something for everyone.
Free with paid parking.

🔗 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4isfB7f

See you this summer! 🇺🇸

04/17/2025

The First Division Museum Guided Tour for Saturday, April 19, is at capacity.
Another opportunity is on the horizon. On Saturday, May 3, visitors can attend the upcoming guided tour of the First Division Museum. The tour runs sixty minutes and traces the service and legacy of the U.S. Army’s First Infantry Division—from its formation in World War I through operations today.

This is a free ticketed event, with paid parking. Space is limited. Advance registration is required. Register here: https://bit.ly/3RkAW79

04/16/2025

Service isn’t just something you do—it’s something you live with. Long after the uniform is folded, the weight of it stays. Too often, that sacrifice is overlooked. But not here.

At Cantigny and the First Division Museum, honoring those who’ve served isn’t a seasonal gesture. It’s a constant. It’s who we are. And this summer, we’re purposefully marking 250 years of the U.S. Army.

Exhibits that tell the real stories. Programs that invite families to learn and reflect. A return of the Lt. Dan Band, raising funds for veterans who need support now, not someday.

This is a Salute to Service—not with fanfare, but with meaning. Stay with us in the weeks ahead as we share what’s coming. And if you’ve never worn the uniform, we hope you’ll walk alongside those who have. Listen, learn, and remember.

📸: 1st Infantry Division (U.S. Army photos by Sgt. Dawson Smith, 2025)

04/11/2025

To carry on the commemoration of the 59th Anniversary of The Battle of Xa Cam My during the Vietnam War (April 11, 1966), read Medal of Honor Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger's patriotic and courageous story below:

On Easter Sunday, 11 April 1966, Captain William R. Nolen’s Charlie Company, 2d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment was sent to find Viet Cong in the Courtney Rubber Plantation near Xa Cam My, 40 miles west of Saigon.

The Viet Cong Battalion D-800 base camp had .50 and .30 caliber machine guns. Their fire interlocked, leaving no space uncovered. The contour of the hill enabled the VC to place effective fire from all directions. The jungle canopy was formed by 50 foot trees. Two Air Force Huskie helicopters arrived at 3:00 p.m. to evacuate dead and wounded, and miraculously, they were able to rescue twelve men.

Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger was lowered 200 feet to evacuate casualties. On the last attempt, one of the choppers was hit by fire, and the air force rescue man waved off the chopper and elected to remain with Company C. It was a brave act, but it would cost him his life.

The VC Battalion surrounded Company C by 5:00 p.m. Co C were able to repel the Viet Cong that night at a cost of 106 out of the original 134 either killed or wounded. On December 8, 2000, Pitsenbarger was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in a ceremony at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

04/11/2025

Friday, April 11, is the 59th Anniversary of The Battle of Xa Cam My during the Vietnam War (1966). Commemorate the great Medal of Honor U. S. Army SGT William Robinson by learning more about his immense courage and sacrifice below:

Sergeant James W. Robinson posthumously received the Medal of Honor for actions on 11 April 1966 in the Battle of XA CAM MY, east of Saigon.

During Operation Abilene, Company C of 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment was on a search and destroy mission southeast of XA CAM MY town. At 1:55 pm, C Company engaged a Viet Cong platoon. Fighting lasted till 3:25 pm when the enemy retreated. C Company pursued until stopping to treat and evacuate wounded.

In very dense jungle growth, C Company had halted 200 meters from a Viet Cong battalion hidden in a base camp. At 5:35 pm, C Company came under heavy mortar barrage and.50 caliber machine gun fire. VC snipers in trees shot at and threw grenades against the encircled soldiers. The enemy then launched three attacks.

Sgt. Robinson, fire team leader, saw a medic shot while aiding a wounded soldier. Charging through heavy enemy fire, he dragged both men to cover and administered first aid. Under intense fire, Sgt. Robinson gathered up rifles and ammo and distributed them. He then fired back at the enemy snipers, inflicting heavy casualties.

Sgt. Robinson then saw a soldier hit by enemy .50 caliber machine gun fire. Rushing to help, he was hit in the shoulder and leg. Reaching the wounded man, Robinson dragged him back behind a tree and gave first aid. Out of ammo, Sgt. Robinson took two hand grenades and charged the machine gun nest. A tracer hit his leg, setting the trouser on fire. Ripping off the burning cloth, he staggered onward despite enemy fire. 30 feet from the gun, he threw both grenades. As the nest exploded, Sgt. Robinson fell dead with two .50 caliber slugs in his chest.

04/11/2025

04/08/2025

04/03/2025

Join McCormick House Director Will Buhlig for an evening of cocktails, small bites, and stories about Col. Robert R. McCormick’s extensive weapons collection. You will view over thirty weapons up close from the American Colonial era to the early 1950s. Learn which weapon Col. McCormick used to protect himself from gangsters, for sport hunting, and for scaring away noisy birds at Cantigny (no birds were harmed in this activity).

Colonel McCormick’s Weapons Collection
McCormick House (Guests will meet their guide in the Visitors Center)
Thursday, April 10, 6:00 PM
$90 per ticket
https://bit.ly/41G5epG

03/31/2025

History doesn’t whisper—it speaks with conviction.
Join us on Saturday, April 5, from 2 to 3 p.m. for a guided tour of the First Division Museum. Walk through the legacy of the U.S. Army’s oldest continuously serving division, the First Infantry Division—also known as the Big Red One.

This sixty-minute tour covers over a century of service, from World War I to the present day. You’ll hear the stories of those who served—not with fanfare, but with grit, honor, and quiet determination.

Admission is free, but space is limited and registration is required. Reserve your spot here: https://bit.ly/4hh6fu0

03/29/2025

Which guns do you think Colonel McCormick used for sport hunting, protection against gangsters, and clearing away noisy birds? Find out the answers and hear stories about his extensive weapons collection at our Colonel McCormick's Weapons Collection. This tour will be held in the McCormick House on Thursday, April 10 from 6-7:30 pm. Meet the McCormick House Director, Will Buhlig, in the Visitors Center. Register here: https://bit.ly/41G5epG

03/25/2025

Medal of Honor Day is today, March 25. Today, the nation salutes and honors the extraordinary courage, sacrifice, and service of those men and women who have received the highest military decoration in the United States, the Medal of Honor. One Medal of Honor hero we want to honor today is Lieutenant Colonel Charles C. Rogers.

In the early morning of November 1, 1968, Fire Support Base Rita was subjected to a bombardment by the 1st North Vietnamese Army Division. A human wave ground assault led by sappers breached the wire with Bangalore torpedoes. LTC Rogers rallied the dazed artillery crews, ordering them to their howitzers, and directed their fire on the enemy. Knocked to the ground and wounded by an exploding round, LTC Rogers sprang to his feet and led a squad against enemy sappers. Painfully wounded a second time, LTC Rogers drove the enemy from his base. Refusing evacuation, LTC Rogers reestablished the defensive positions and directed airstrikes. As a second human wave attack was launched, LTC Rogers ordered direct artillery fire on the enemy. At dawn, the determined enemy launched a third assault against the fire base in an attempt to overrun the command post. Seeing a howitzer inoperative due to casualties, LTC Rogers joined the surviving members of the crew to return the howitzer to action. LTC Rogers was seriously wounded by fragments from an explosion on the parapet of the gun position.

Too severely wounded to physically lead the defenders, LTC Rogers continued to give directions to his gun crews. They used all their beehive rounds to repel the enemy attack. LTC Rogers’ dauntless courage and heroism inspired the defenders of the fire support base to the heights of valor to defeat a determined and numerically superior enemy force.

1 November 1968, Commanding Officer 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery
Photos 1 & 4: LTC Rogers
Photo 2: Presented the Distinguished Service Cross
Photo 3: Original map of Fire Support Base Rita

03/23/2025

Do you plan on visiting Cantigny this weekend with the little ones? Stop by the First Division Museum for a history lesson on the Army's 1st Infantry Division. Experience immersive exhibits with artifacts ranging from early war to the present day—there's plenty to learn!

Our Operations Coordinator, Phil Roberts, snapped these shots of his two youngest grandchildren on their last visit to see him hard at work and had the chance to try on some military helmets and even climb on some tanks in our Military Tank Park.

03/21/2025

Interested in learning more about Colonel Robert R. McCormick's extensive weapons collection? Register for the Colonel McCormick's Weapon Collection Tour on Thursday, April 10 from 6 - 7:30 pm for an evening full of history, delicious cocktails, and small bites.

Tickets: $90 | Registration is required.
More information here: https://bit.ly/41G5epG

03/20/2025

💡Military Question of the Week:
What medal was presented for the first time on March 25, 1863?
Hint: Six of those medals were presented on that date.

03/20/2025

Explore the remarkable history of the U.S. Army's oldest and most storied division, the First Infantry Division, by experiencing a guided tour at the First Division Museum. Travel back in time with our highly engaging tour guides for this sixty-minute walk that covers the missions and accomplishments of the men and women of the Big Red One from its inception in World War I to the present. This is a free ticketed event; however, tour size is limited, and registration is required.

Saturday, April 5, 2 - 3 pm
Free with Paid Parking
https://bit.ly/4hh6fu0

03/18/2025

Cantigny American Legion Post 556 and Sons of the American Legion Squadron 556 present a Memorial Day Observance Ceremony. This solemn and meaningful event is open to all and will take place on Monday, May 26 at the First Division Museum's Military Tank Park from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, featuring:

* A keynote speaker
* Color Guard and Rifle Salute
* Music and reflections
* Missing Man table tribute

Bring family, friends, or neighbors to participate in this time of honor, remembrance, and reflection. Join us to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Poppy Sales: Support our veterans and their families by purchasing a poppy at Cantigny and Cantigny Golf. 100% of the proceeds go directly to veteran support programs.
https://bit.ly/3DQWuox