- National Infantry Museum
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National Infantry Museum 
Established 2009 Location Fort Benning, Georgia Website www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com/ The National Infantry Museum is a museum located in South Columbus, Georgia, just outside Fort Benning, the home of the Infantry. The museum honors the history of infantry forces in the United States Army.
The museum is 190,000 square feet (18,000 m2) in size and cost $107 million to build. The first two exhibits to open in March 2009 were The Officer Candidate School Hall of Honor[1] and The Ranger Hall of Honor with the remaining exhibits being available during the grand opening on June 19, 2009. The museum's signature exhibit is called, "The Last 100 Yards" and contains scenes from eight wars in US infantry history and features lifelike figures cast from actual soldiers.[2]
The museum features its own IMAX Theatre, as well as its own restaurant (the Fife and Drum).[3]
The private, non-profit National Infantry Foundation developed and operates the facility, which replaces a (now closed) smaller on-post museum housed in its former hospital. The exhibits and artifacts are under the control of the US Army-employed Director of the Infantry Museum.
Contents
Former exhibit honored a rare achievement
Combat Infantryman Badge 3d Award
The National Infantry Museum stores a memorial to the Soldiers who have been awarded three Combat Infantryman Badges (CIB) in the course of their Army careers; having meet the basic and specific requirements for award of the CIB for each instance award was made. At a minimum the Soldier must:[4]
- a. Be an Infantryman satisfactorily performing Infantry duties.
- b. Be assigned to an Infantry unit during such time as the unit is engaged in active ground combat.
- c. Actively participate in such ground combat.
Specific eligibility requirements are enumerated in the article Combat Infantryman Badge and Army Regulation 600-8-22.
The Combat Infantryman Badge has been a prized award of the United States Army Infantry since its 1943 authorization. It has been said, that the Combat Infantryman Badge is the infantryman's most prestigious award, next to the Medal of Honor.[5] Although Army Regulations provide for a fourth award possibility, the Army has nearly made it impossible to not only earn a fourth but to receive more than two is difficult according to Lieutenant Colonel Albert N. Garland in his 1996 article The Combat Infantryman Badge.[5]
Honoring a Rare Achievement
Major General David E. Grange, Jr. was the Commanding General at Fort Benning, Georgia between 15 June 1979 and 2 August 1981 and a recipient of the 3rd award of the Combat Infantryman Badge. He understood being awarded three Combat Infantryman Badges was a rare achievement and thought a list should be compiled to celebrate these men of distinction. With his urging the Infantry Museum at Fort Benning began collecting names of known 3rd CIB recipients.
Photograph of the Three Time Recipients' of the Combat Infantryman Badge exhibit, National Infantry Museum 2004.By 1983 the museum had collected and set to bronze the names of two hundred and thirty men and the unveiling of a memorial to these Soldiers and the unknowns was conducted at Fort Benning. An additional 79 names have been added to the bronze plaques.
The List
The list of recipients is not considered the "definitive" list, and is not sanctioned by the U.S. Army as 'Official'.[6] A complete list may never be fully known as the Army does not keep records of the number of CIB's that have been awarded to individuals. Only the individual Soldier's record would list this information. Identification today is in the hands of the recipient or his family.
Although many men served long tenures in the Army, not all found themselves in a shoot back situation that also met the other requirements for award of the CIB. There are publicly known to be 309 men who have received three Combat Infantryman Badges. These men would have had to have seen combat in World War II, the Korean Conflict (sic), and the Vietnam Conflict (sic).[5][7] The War on Terrorism (Afghanistan, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM) and (Iraq, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM) are also qualifying periods for award of one CIB. Hypothetically a twenty year old Soldier in 1953, who also fought in Vietnam. would have to have a fifty year career to be eligible in 2003 for a third CIB.[8]
In 2009 the museum opened in its new location off of Fort Benning and the exhibit showing the list has not been re-established. Plans for it to be included in some way are being developed.
Below is the alphabetical listing of recipients of three Combat Infantryman Badges.
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ACUFF - DU PONT
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DYMOWSKI - LUTHENS
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LYNCH - SAVAGE
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SCHINDLER - WYCKOFF
Soldiers being added to the list must have proof of receipt of the award in the form of a copy of the issuing order showing award of the CIB 3rd Award. Individual award orders issued by an authorized headquarters which publishes the award indicate the number of the award being awarded to the Soldier. Additionally, Soldier's DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty should list the award with the identifier "3d AWD" or a variation thereof. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the museum at;The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center, 1775 Legacy Way, Columbus, Georgia 31903
See also
External links
Notes and References
- ^ Note: The Museum OCS Hall of Honor is different from the OCS Hall of Fame, but it does exhibit the OCS HoF present year inductees and lists former inductees in an exquisite display.
- ^ Williams, Chuck, "Infantry Museum's '100 Yards' Exhibit Touches Veterans", Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, June 19, 2009.
- ^ http://www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com/?page_id=52
- ^ Army Regulation 600-8-22
- ^ a b c INFANTRY magazine July–August 1996 The Combat Infantryman Badge by Lieutenant Colonel Albert N. Garland
- ^ Note: The original list was researched and compiled by Colonel Donald A. Sibert, later the National Infantry Museum staff amended the list
- ^ Note: Service in the Republic of Vietnam Conflict (2 March 1961 to 28 March 1973 combined with qualifying service in Laos; Dominican Republic; Korea on the DMZ; El Salvador; Grenada; Joint Security Area, Panmunjom, Korea; Panama; Southwest Asia Conflict; and Somalia, equate to a singular award, regardless of whether a Soldier has served one or multiple tours in any or all of these areas. The Republic of Vietnam Conflict Era officially terminated on 10 March 1995.)
- ^ Institute of Heraldry's official CIB page http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/UniformedServices/Badges/combat_infantryman.aspx
- Putnam, Walter, "Powell salutes soldiers at museum opening", Military Times (Associated Press), August 3, 2009.
- Williams, Chuck, "Colin Powell speaks at Infantry Museum grand opening", Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, June 20, 2009.
Categories:- IMAX venues
- Military and war museums in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Museums in Columbus, Georgia
- American national museums in Georgia (U.S. state)
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