3.    The vision of the National War Museum directly aligns with the National Memorial Day Parade, held each year on Constitution Avenue, NW, in the District. Many different demographics participate and watch, both on site and worldwide. This event honors our military veterans who have served and sacrificed their lives, as well as those on active duty/reserve. It also recognizes our allies. As one of the largest parades in the world, it is literally a moving timeline of our nation, with veterans from recent conflicts, re-enactors from the American Revolution, Wars of 1812, Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.  Importantly, the Parade also includes service organizations, and other generations, with youth groups and many high school marching bands.  These are all potential visitors to our National War Museum!

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4.    Many Americans visiting the Nation’s Capital, especially families, and visitors from abroad, may lack the budget and time to travel to other military themed museums. This especially applies to the outlying museums. Some audience segments have only a casual interest, or no interest, in military history. Thus, an accessible location, and a “general” National War Museum, are key motivations and advantages.

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5.    Part of the National War Museum’s mission is to partner and collaborate, not compete with, other war or military history related museums, either locally, regionally, or nationally. The National War Museum can be an international hub, resource, or connector to these other museums.  It is hoped that this will be a profound mutual relationship.

6.    The National War Museum will be for ALL Americans. Young and old, veteran or not, no matter what our backgrounds may be, or where we live, the comprehensive nature will educate, inspire, and appeal to ALL.

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7.    The National War Museum will be unique in terms of its increased global scope, context, and reach.  Its content will offer broader coverage of different international participants and allies in our conflicts. 

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8.    There are many museums in the United States that recount specific wars, battles, and individual war heroes; Presidential Libraries that also cover respective wars; there are (and will be) memorials and monuments for a range of demographics.  There are numerous museums dedicated to the various military service branches. This diversity is the foundation for the National War Museum. But there must be one place that ties and puts this history together in a coherent context.

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9.    Overlapping thematic/programmatic coverage of the National War Museum, with other military history museums, would not be unique. As just one example, there are two museums dedicated to the war that created the United States:

• The Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia, PA

• American Revolution Museum of Yorktown, VA (formerly Yorktown Victory Center)

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10.     The National War Museum will recognize how every section of the United States has played a role in our conflicts. Perspectives from outside the Washington, DC area, are as important as from within. Therefore, the National War Museum must be a new “melting pot.”

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11.     As a new museum, the National War Museum will have the important opportunity of reflecting and anticipating new societal sensibilities. The definition of “museum” is itself evolving. These trends and forces can be built into programming, from the start.

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12.      The National War Museum will also synergize with the many war related sites on the National Mall and vicinity.  At the same time, these museums and memorials will point to the National War Museum. One can envision a visitor’s itinerary to the U.S. Capitol, National War Museum, Arlington National Cemetery; the National World War II, Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Memorials; and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial and Smithsonian National Air and Space Museums.

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13.    By locating in Washington, DC or close by, the National War Museum will be able to attract visitors from dozens of embassies, and the large number of District-based international aid related and other organizations.

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14.    Every year, large numbers of visitors from abroad come to Washington, DC. Their sightseeing itineraries typically include the Smithsonian museums, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, and more. Many of these tourists will look for a comprehensive U.S. (National) military history museum, and one that is conveniently located and accessible in the National Mall area for them. 

 

15.     Being in the Nation’s Capital close-in area, the National War Museum will integrate and complement many other institutions and cultural attractions:

•    Arlington National Cemetery

•    The U.S. Capitol

•    U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

•    The National Archives of the U.S.

•    The Library of Congress (with the Veterans History Project)

•    American Red Cross Headquarters

•    Federal Government Headquarters Agencies and Departments,

     including the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs