Americans in Wartime Museum Honor • Educate • Inspire

Work continues on the Museum site Winter 2017 Issue

Work is ongoing at the 70-acre future site of the Americans in Wartime Museum in Prince William County.

Development of the land, which is being generously given to our organization by the Hylton Foundation, is the key part of the $30 In This Issue million Phase One of the project, and that gift includes clearing and grading the land. Tank Farm Open House……………….2 Major dirt work has been going on for about the last year-and-a-half on Veteran Highlight………………………3 12 acres of the western part of the site. Work on the eastern most part of the property is expected to begin, soon. Join & Support Us………………………4 When the master plan is completed the museum is going to be a unique facility and that will provide an extraordinary educational experience Remembering Donnie Hylton…………5 for our visitors.

The site work will take at least a few more years to complete. Phase 2 will require $25 million to build several of the unique Landscapes of War, the demonstration field and track, the maintenance and restoration facilities and the initial reception/orientation center. Phase Three will include construction of the main orientation center, museum, learning center, theater and restaurant.

The museum will feature an expansive military vehicle collection, interactive exhibits, and dedicated areas that provide a realistic feel of and information about each of the major United States military conflicts.

A Landscape of War will be dedicated to each of the major conflicts: World War I, World War ll, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Interpretive centers of between 5,000 and 8,000 square feet, will be built on each of the Landscapes.

The museum will give our visitors a good sense of the experience of serving in our armed forces as well as the experiences of their families who waited at home.

1 “Tank Farm” sees biggest turnout to date at Open House

In September, the museum held its annual Open House at the “Tank Farm” in Nokesville, and it was an enormous success. The two-day event is a good example of the kinds of experiences and exhibits that one can expect at the planned Americans in Wartime Museum. It’s important for the community and our donors to get a better understanding of what the museum is going to be about. And this year, the event drew the highest event attendance, ever. Last year a little over 5,000 people were there. This year, well over 7,000 attended. – a dramatic increase in participation. The Open House included veteran roundtable discussions, kid’s events, a dynamic firepower demonstration by the U.S.M.C. Historical Company, nearly 200 living history re- enactors from 15 living history units, and 80 vehicles on the field of which 18 were demonstrated to the enthusiastic crowds. We had the support of lots and lots of people, including the Boy Scouts of America and the Young Marines organization who managed the automobile traffic and parking. The museum will provide an important educational experience for the generations of today and, most importantly, for the generations to come. To describe our ultimate goal, we use the words - honor, educate, and inspire: Honor the men and women who have served, in an effort to educate the public, particularly the coming generations, about those who have served our country and the values they demonstrated (dedication, commitment, loyalty, duty, honor, courage and sacrifice) in the hope that it will inspire our visitors to incorporate some of those values into their own lives.

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Featured Vet, Thomas Bedisky

Veteran Highlight: Thomas Bedisky, United States Air Force Thomas Bedisky, a retired Major from the United States Air Force, served from 1970 to 1992. His story and experiences from his time during the military were collected as part of the Voices of Freedom Project. Bedisky’s family has a long history of military service. His father served in the Army during WWII, and his son served in the Army during the War on Terror. Bedisky shared his experience of sitting down with his father after completing college, to discuss which branch to serve in. “I had uncles, and people that I knew, that had been in the Air Force or the Army Air Force, and I had heard the stories, so that’s where I opted to go,” said Bedisky. He also shared how he selected his position as a navigator, and what it was like to serve in that role. “At the time that I was going in, they weren’t in as big a need for pilots. They were more looking for navigators,” said Bedisky. Bedisky looks back fondly on his time in military service, especially when thinking about the people he had the opportunity to serve with. “It was an honor to serve. There was a great many people that I had to work with – truly professionals…you become like one. You just know, as a team, that you’re working so hard to get, that just everybody’s helping everybody,” said Bedisky. To see his full interview, go to website. http://www.nmaw.org/war/thomas-bedisky.

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Join us and support our cause!

To complete the world-class Americans in Wartime Museum, we need the support of generous friends, partners, and Museum members that see the value in our mission. We’ve secured donations for our 70-acre site, but there is more work to do as we move into the next phase of the project.

Once we’ve secured funding for Phase Two, we will be able to complete the Orientation Center, several Landscapes of War sites, and the restoration facilities. Consider supporting this work in one of the following ways:

Join or Renew your Membership: Complete the information below, or visit the website at www.AmericansInWartime.org, and select the “Become a Member” button. We couldn’t do this without the great support of our members!

Donate to the Museum: The Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Gifts of support can range from a gift or pledge of cash, a gift of appreciated securities, a willed bequest, life insurance benefits, or a Tribute Gift in honor of a loved one or fellow veteran.

Membership Application

1.) I wish to join or renew: Amount Individual $50 Family $100 Bronze $500 Silver $2,500 Gold $5,000 Help us make the Americans in Wartime Platinum $10,000 Museum a reality. You can support our Patriot $25,000 cause by becoming a member, donating, Founder’s Circle $50,000 or renewing your membership today! Join or make a tax-deductible gift online 2.) I wish to donate $______to the Museum. at www.AmericansInWartime.com or by ______mailing in your membership application Name to the address below. ______Address Your annual membership benefits ______include invites to special events and the City State Zip Code Museum newsletter. ______Email Phone

Please make all checks payable to Payment Method “NMAW”. Check American Express National Museum of Americans in Visa Discover MasterCard Wartime 8500 Executive Park Ave., Suite 412 ______Fairfax, VA 22031 Credit Card # ______Phone: 703-662-5774 Exp. Date CSC Code

______4 Signature Date

Remembering Donnie Hylton: Community icon, committed supporter of the Americans in Wartime Museum Cecil “Donnie” Hylton III was a special man. A land developer from the well-known Hylton family, he enjoyed many things: riding motorcycles, racing, fishing, and helping the community by supporting causes like the construction of the Americans in Wartime Museum.

Hylton passed away on May 4 at the age of 54, and was buried at Stonewall Memory Gardens at 12004 Lee Highway in Manassas.

We appreciate all that he and his family have done for our community, and our mission to preserve the memories, and honor, educate, and inspire with our work on the museum. He will be greatly missed.

We love hearing from you! Interested in what’s happening at the Americans in Wartime Museum? You can keep up with your updates online!

Visit our website and blog at www.AmericansInWartime.org. Like the “Americans in Wartime Museum” Facebook page. Follow us on Twitter @WartimeMuseum.

Want to drop us a line in the mail, or submit a membership form or donation? Our mailing address is: National Museum of Americans in Wartime 8500 Executive Park Ave., Suite 412 Fairfax, VA 22031 5

National Museum of Americans in Wartime 8500 Executive Park Ave., Suite 412 Non-Profit Org. Fairfax, VA 22031 U.S. POSTAGE PAID MANASSAS, VA PERMIT #230