Every voice that served should be heard
leader of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, I can attest to the importance of honoring those who made the ultimate gesture of putting others before themselves — serving our country — and educating citizenry of all ages about their sacrifice.
During my 35-year career in the United States Army, I worked alongside extraordinary men and women whose commitment to honor, duty and their country drove them every single day. They inspired and humbled me.
And it’s why I said yes to leading this important new national memorial and museum set to open on the riverfront in Downtown Columbus this fall.
Each and every day we proudly acknowledge the flag as a symbol of freedom and sacrifice. With the arrival of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, an additional symbol can be found. The concrete exterior is the brace, holding the building together and symbolizing the same strength as our brave veterans showed defending our country. The arches that weave together like infinity signs are a reminder that, because of this place, the stories of our military veterans will live on forever through generations to come.
This Independence Day, children will wave their flags at parades and homeowners will proudly hang their flags from their posts, and each person who does so is honoring someone they know, love, have met or have heard of.
While we all know the names of some veterans, like George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower, most remain unknown outside family and friends.
That’s about to change. When we debut the NVMM, it will take visitors on a journey telling individual stories and shared experiences of veterans throughout history.
We’ll learn about why they decided to serve their country, what it felt like to take the oath of service, what it was like to leave home and come back. It will pay tribute to the sacrifices of servicemen and women and their families. History will be presented in a dynamic, participatory experience with photos, letters and personal effects, multimedia presentations and interactive exhibits.
Together, these elements will link the national story to the larger context of world events since the country’s earliest days and will demonstrate the importance of individuals in shaping history.
As I walk through the exhibits and hear others share their stories about what it was like to take the oath or read letters from home, I’m reminded of my own journey from service member to veteran and from a boy to a man. In listening to their experiences, memories of long ago come back to me, and I am reminded that while not all stories are the same, many universal themes of camaraderie, patriotism and service are woven throughout.
Everyone has a story, and every voice that has served deserves to be heard; that is exactly what the National Veterans Memorial and Museum makes possible.