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Mr. Rodkey and his wife Sarah are avid travelers. In addition to military (and other) museums in the United States, they have visited American World War II cemeteries in Europe, and diverse military museums, monuments, and institutions throughout Europe, the Russian Federation, New Zealand, and Canada. Mr. Rodkey also is an enthusiastic reader of military history literature.
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“Although there are many motivations for this project, three museum experiences particularly stand out,” says Mr. Rodkey. “One was my visit to the Price of Freedom exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in DC. It struck me how small it was, in comparison to roles played by all of the conflicts in our history. A second formative experience was my first visit to the new National Museum of the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, VA. This allowed me to see “best practices” in museum design. The campaign wall in the lobby literally sends a message. The extensive use of vintage posters, and documentary-style videos in many galleries were especially appealing to me.”
He adds, “the third setting was the completely redone National Veterans Museum and Memorial in Columbus, Ohio. This is really different -not a traditional war or military history museum. Content is about the accomplishments and sacrifices made by ordinary veterans and their families.”
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Mr. Rodkey is a member of the Society for Military History, the American Alliance of Museums, and the Friends of the National World War II Memorial. A long-time resident of Sterling, Virginia, he currently is a member of the Loudoun County (Virginia) Veterans Engagement Board.
His long-standing interest in U.S. military history motivated him to serve as a national volunteer and registered Field Representative of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) National World War II Memorial Campaign to raise awareness of, and generate financial donations for, the Memorial Campaign.
While in New Orleans, June 2000, Mr. Rodkey saw a parade commemorating the opening of the National D-Day Museum (now called the National World War II Museum). He returned to Washington, DC inspired and determined to have a military oriented parade in our Nation’s Capital. He was instrumental in organizing a group, including the American Veterans Center, that reinstituted the National Memorial Day Parade. Today, the Parade is a rolling history of our military history along Constitution Avenue.
He has an MBA in Marketing from Rutgers University, and a BA in Journalism from Michigan State University. He is an employee of the federal civil service.
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NWMP Founder as WWII re-enactor
More About the
Founder of the NWMP
The National War Museum Project (NWMP) was founded in 2020 by a private citizen, Kitt Rodkey, who was inspired by his personal family history, extensive travel and knowledge of military history. He sees a national war museum as a unifying thread that can illustrate the impact armed conflict has had in shaping the nation’s history.
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Many of Mr. Rodkey’s family members served in the U.S. Armed Forces, including his father, an Army communications sergeant who was deployed to the Pacific theatre in the latter years of World War II. A close uncle, also a WW II veteran, served as an Army infantryman in Europe. Going back even further in time, he has ancestors who served in the Civil War, as well as the American Revolution.
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