Always Something Different
The First Division Museum is constantly upgrading its exhibits, adding to its collections, researching new dimensions of military history and creating innovative programming. Repeat visitors will always find something different to experience.
The M1 Abrams Tank
In 2007, the US Army permanently loaned an M1 Abrams tank to the First Division Museum. Named for former Army Chief of Staff General Creighton W. Abrams and first fielded in 1980, M1-series tanks have served the 1st Infantry Division for more than 25 years and are in Iraq today. The museum’s tank is of the type the division used in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. In 2008 the 55-ton tank will be dedicated in the Tank Park. This important artifact helps honor the current generation of veterans and tell the continuing story of the 1st Infantry Division.
The LCVP Landing Craft
Another exciting 2007 acquisition is an LCVP” (Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel) or “Higgins Boat.” More than 22,000 LCVPs were manufactured during WWII. The craft could transport troops from larger vessels right onto a beach, making amphibious assaults possible. LCVPs carried the 1st Infantry Division ashore at North Africa, Sicily and Normandy. The museum purchased this World War II-vintage LCVP from Overlord Research, LLC, of Charleston, WV, who located it in Normandy, France. The First Division Museum is now having it professionally restored. When it arrives here next year, it will give us one of only about 12 such vessels known to still exist.
FDM Expansion Plans
Our museum is too small! In 2008, we are planning for possible expansion. We need space for the 1st Division’s story since 1970. Operations Desert Shield / Desert Storm require better interpretation. We say nothing about five years of peace-keeping duty in the Balkans in the 1990s nor about the division’s role to date in the War on Terror. We need space to exhibit large but rare, fragile artifacts like the LCVP. Most important, we need more and better “behind the scenes” space so that all our supporting activities are to the world-class standards our mission and visitors deserve.
