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Buckeye Beat: National Veteran's Memorial and Museum

Veteran's Museum
Veteran's Museum

[Jo Ingle] Washington DC has several museums that pay tribute to veterans but you won't find the first National Veteran's Memorial and Museum there. It's in downtown Columbus in this new, $82 million 53,000 square foot building 

[Amy Taylor] This museum is special because it tells the story of veterans from the dawn of our country all the way through to the present. And while we certainly have branch of service museums and battle and conflict museums, this is the one place that takes all of those stories from all of the conflicts, and from peace time, and tells in it one place.

[Jo Ingles] In June, President Trump signed into law a bill that designates this facility as the National Veteran's Memorial and Museum. But why put this in Columbus? One reason is Columbus is within an eight hour drive to much of the United States and it's more affordable than some other big cities where it could have been sited. But there's another big reason.

[Amy Taylor] Mainly when people ask me that question I say, because we did it. We raised $82 million here locally and we prioritized the value of doing this. So it wasn't a dream, it was a reality.

[Jo Ingles] Someone else also prioritized the value of this, astronaut, former US Senator, and Ohio legend, John Glenn.

[Amy Taylor] The National Veteran's Memorial and Museum would not exist without the late Senator John Glenn. It was really his vision that we're bringing to reality. And he wanted a place not just to honor veterans but to really connect veterans in the civilian population. And to inspire people. In fact, that was one of his key items. And he wanted to make sure that we continue to educate the current and future generations of children about what it means for honor, duty, and country. What it means to serve.

[Jo Ingles] The museum was founded on four pillars created by Glenn and his committee. Honor, Connect, Inspire, and Educate. Everything in the building is meant to accomplish one of those goals. The museum has plenty of hands on opportunities for visitors to learn about the history of service. Take this one for example, a large touch screen sits on top of the parachute that serves as a backdrop. When you move the timeline you can see how many and where veterans served and what they were doing during that time.

The top floor of the facility uses art, light, and creativity to inspire visitors and evoke reflection. And the architecture itself is meant to send a message.

[Amy Taylor] It's an iconic design and you walk in and there are three concentric concrete rings. And you get to understand that you've arrived somewhere important. So, there's 28 million pounds of concrete in this building. There's 1100 tons of structural steel, rebar steel, and there's no load bearing columns. So I guess the way I look at it is just like veterans, this building is holding itself up. It continues to rise. And that was the symbolism when we think about our veterans.