Honoring our Veterans



Photo courtesy of the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum.

 The Iowa Gold Star Military Museum's mission is to "honor and depict the military experience of Iowa citizens in all wars, homeland defense and Iowa service."

Visitors can learn about Iowa military history from 1846 to the present as well as see uniforms, flags, trench art, weapons, aircraft and tanks. The museum will be participating in the Blue Star Museum program, offering free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day (May 30, 2011) through Labor Day (September 5, 2011). Find a list of other Iowa museums participating at http://1.usa.gov/l1tgdB.

Our family had the pleasure of visiting the museum last winter, shortly after the grand opening of its 18,000-square-foot addition. Since our previous visit last June, the museum had added several more large pieces of military equipment, including a Huey helicopter hanging from the ceiling, an army jeep and a huge tank with all of the military apparatus. While we were there, an artist was carefully painting a life-size mural depicting Iowa soliders of long ago. Plan a trip and check it out yourself!
 
Lonie Mezera, Iowa Tourism Office