The Soldier’s Story: Exploring the U.S. Army Heritage Center

From artifact and treasure exhibits to uniformed mannequins, digital shooting ranges, and memorial walkways, the Army War College tells the American soldier’s story, woman or man, in war and in peace, from the Spanish-American War to Afghanistan. It’s an all-encompassing and interactive display of our heritage and how we proved ourselves on the battlefield as a force for good and a force to be reckoned with.

“And it is through strife and the readiness for strife that a man or a nation must win greatness. So, let the world know that we are here and willing to pour out our blood, our treasure, our tears. And that America is ready and, if need be, desirous of battle.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

The outdoor museum of the Army War College, the Army Heritage Trail, features fourteen exhibits that transport you through time to some of our greatest triumphs and our most grueling trials. Walk into a French & Indian War station reconstruction, watch Antietam unfold, or gaze upon the hardships of a Civil War winter encampment. Take to the trenches of World War I, tour a recreation of the Normandy beaches, and inspect armor, aircraft, and artillery.

For an even more realistic experience, visit the Soldier Experience Gallery. Here, you will find the digital shooting range to test your marksmanship, a movie theater, and the opportunity to write a letter to a currently serving soldier. You’ll also be able to simulate a parachute drop in to Normandy on D-Day and experience a night attack in the Korean War. Don’t forget to grab a dog tag at the visitor’s desk to follow the story of one of six soldiers featured in the exhibit. Click here for more information on the Soldier Experience Gallery.

For a more recent look into America’s wars and the role the Army played, visit the “Enter the War On Terror” exhibit. The exhibit makes a serious attempt at fooling your mind into believing you are “not in Kansas anymore” starting with a simulation of exiting a cargo plane and complete with a window containing a desert graphic insert, a Middle Eastern sky, and a sign overhead of the door telling visitors they cannot enter in Arabic. You can find the exhibit in the hallway connecting the Visitor and Education Center and Ridgway Hall.

Veteran or not, the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle  at Carlisle Barracks displays much to be admired throughout its 56-acre campus. To learn more about the Center, or about the Army War College as a whole, click here and plan your visit today!

U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center

950 Soldiers Dr.

Carlisle, PA 17013

717.245.3972