For more than three decades, officials with the historic 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and regional stakeholders have dreamed of expanding and further enriching the Don F. Pratt Museum at Fort Campbell.
Reality, and destiny, arrived Friday morning just south of Oak Grove near the Tennessee state line, when more than 450 military personnel and various invite-only associates embraced a ribbon-cutting and first-look walkthrough of the Tennessee Wings of Liberty Museum — before opening doors to the general public at 1 PM.
The $37 million, 51,000-square-foot facility houses the fully immersive multimedia history of not only the “Screaming Eagles” and its proud origins during World War II, but also its elite detachments: the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment known as “The Nightstalkers,” as well as the 5th Special Forces Group known as “The Legion.”
U.S. Army Retired Major General Brian Winski, Fort Campbell Historical Foundation president & CEO, said the new construction off of post has long been intentional — with a desire for multi-phased improvements and museum growth, while allowing better access to civilian families and soldiers alike.
Dr. Jim Malachowski, U.S. Army Chief Historian for the Center of Military History, said his own inspirations for this campus were born as a child walking through an Army museum.
Years later, as a museum volunteer, he met a 101st veteran — and a message resonated.
Inside these new walls, Malachowski added, is the U.S. military’s history of “vertical envelopment” — or the art of “striking above,” a tactical advantage few, if any, other world military unit possesses.
Major General David Gardner, commanding general of the 101st, called opening these doors “a highlight of his career,” and noted that “enormous generosity” from public and private funding — many from south western Kentucky and northwest Tennessee — spared all expense from the U.S. Army.
Of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Exhibit highlights include:
+ A restored Sherman tank from World War II, alongside memorabilia captured by the 101st Airborne Division at Fuhrer Adolf Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest.”
+ The first-ever Howitzer to be airdropped into combat in Korea, put into action within seven minutes of landing.
+ And a full MH-47 Chinook helicopter, one that participated in the successful raid to capture and kill Osama Bin Laden, with an authentic Afghani saddle used by the Special Forces ODA 395 “Horse Soldiers” during early fighting against the Taliban.
Nestled on 33 acres of open property, the museum is expected to add more indoor and outdoor exhibits in the future, while an open meeting hall and gift shop greet visitors to the left, upon entering.
Located at 400 Wings of Liberty Way in Clarksville, operating hours are to be determined.
FULL PRESENTATION:
