Passion filling military museum
A local brigadier general’s 1966 Jeep is the latest addition to collection.
Rome businessman Leslie Duke has turned his passion for military history into Rome’s newest museum, the Duke Museum of Military History, 110 E. Eighth Ave.
Duke has collected memorabilia from uniforms to weaponry and is adding to the collection all the time.
The most recent addition to his hardware is a 1966 M151-A1 Jeep that was used by the late Brig. Gen. William Wigley of Rome while he was the commanding officer of the Georgia Army National Guard.
Brad Prater, who helped Wigley after his retirement, made the connection with the brigadier general’s family to arrange for the donation of the Jeep.
“This is going to be a great addition to our tourism attractions in Rome,” said Lisa Smith, director of the Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It is a very interesting, comprehensive collection, and Leslie is so passionate and knowledgeable about all of the different aspects of the collection — from artillery to uniforms and other accessories.”
There is no admission fee to the museum, which is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.
“Being a veteran, I just wanted to give the community a place to come and appreciate the sacrifice veterans have made for our country,” Duke said.
When visitors enter the museum, they will find four primary sections, each separately dedicated to different periods of military history — the Civil War, both World Wars, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The museum includes more than 100 historic firearms, over 50 different military uniforms dating from the Civil War through modern times. Two other uniforms on display were acquired from producers of the movie “We Were Soldiers,” a 2002 film that dramatized the Battle for
the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam.
Duke also has collected more than 70 different types of headgear and hundreds of other artifacts.
He said he’s been collecting items for the past 10 years.
“We actually have items brought in for display daily, literally members of the community are helping to grow the collection daily,” Duke said.
In addition to Wigley’s Jeep, the museum is working on a 1964 Jeep, which is stored in an on-site bay.
The Rome Area History Museum’s “Snapshot in Time” lecture on April 25 will feature Duke talking about the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I. He will focus on the development of military technology in the run-up to the war.
The event will mark the first cooperative effort of RAHM and the new Duke museum.