| Fayetteville,
NC � March 2004 � On March 18th, General Peter J. Schoomaker, Chief of
Staff of the Army, opened a special exhibit at the U.S. Army Airborne &
Special Operations Museum, Soldiers: The Global War on Terrorism. The exhibit
focuses on Army airborne and special operations soldiers who have been
serving, and are serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring
Freedom. The exhibit will be on display during regular museum business
hours throughout 2004. �The Airborne & Special Operations Museum is
performing a great service in creating this exhibit� because it will help
educate the public about the important role of our soldiers in the Global
War on Terror,� says Schoomaker. �The entire museum performs a great service
in educating people about our airborne and special operations soldiers
throughout history.�
During
the opening, a proclamation was read from President George W. Bush. It
said, in part �Your exhibit depicting the daily lives of our soldiers serving
in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom will help museum visitors
understand our soldiers� commitment to our country and their legacy of
patriotism.�
The exhibit provides a
unique look at soldiers at war. Hundreds of digital images show soldiers
with �boots on the ground� in Afghanistan and Iraq. �The images are presented
to give insight into the daily lives and the commitment these men and women
have made,� says Dr. John Duvall, Museum Director. �Some of the images
will provide understanding, some feelings of compassion, some laughter
and some tears, but they all bring a sense of pride.�
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The backdrop of the global
struggle the soldiers are engaged in is the destruction of the World Trade
Center on 9/11/2001, and a powerful group of artifacts from the World Trade
Center site is included in the exhibit. Also on display are items returned
from the battlefront by soliders. A diorama, with an all-terrain vehicle
and fully equipped soldiers, depicts a special operations base camp in
a theater of war.
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Soldiers is the first
major exhibit undertaken by the museum that relies exclusively on digital
imagery. �Since today�s Combat Camera and news service photographers rely
on digital cameras and rarely use film, the museum staff decided to use
four large-format flat screen plasma display units to present hundreds
of images taken in Iraq and Afghanistan,� says Sandy Klotz, Executive Director
of the museum Foundation. The images move directly from a computer hard
drive to the plasma screens. Other images, with sound tracks included,
are projected on a 6 ft x 8 ft overhead screen. �The technology also allows
us to update the exhibit throughout its year-long showing as new photographs
are acquired,� says Klotz.
The Airborne & Special
Operations Museum presents the comprehensive history of airborne and special
operations unites beginning with the formation of Test Platoon and its
first Army parachute jump in 1940. Since the museum�s opening in August
2000, over 700,000 visitors have experienced its dramatic artifact displays
life-like dioramas and historic video productions. The museum one of North
Carolina�s Top 20 public attractions and a AAA �GEM� attraction, also features
an exclusive large-screen film Descending from the Clouds and a motion
simulator that lets visitors experience the action of modern soldiers.
�It�s wonderful that we
have an attraction of this magnitude in our city,� says John Meroski, FACVB
president and CEO. �The timeliness of this special exhibit coupled with
the fact that many local soldiers are deployed illustrates the Airborne
& Special Operations Museum�s commitment to our community.�
As part of the Army Museum
System, admission to the museum is free. It is located on six beautifully
landscaped acres in the heart of downtown Fayetteville (uncharacteristically
not on neighboring Fort Bragg), just minutes from I-95. The museum is open
Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays from noon to
5pm. It is closed Mondays except Federal Holiday Mondays. There is a fee
for the theater and motion simulator.
Fayetteville is located
directly off I-95 and is exactly half-way between New York and Florida.
Thanks to the proximity of Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, the area
is infused with a wonderful diversity, which is reflected in every aspect
of the community � from festivals and museums, to dining, shopping and
entertainment. For a full list of attractions and special events in the
Fayetteville area, visit www.visitfayettevillenc.com.
High resolution digital
photography and additional information on the special exhibit is available
on the web at www.asomf.org.
 Contact:
Melody
Foote, Communications Coordinator
Fayetteville Area Convention
& Visitors Bureau
245 Person St.
Fayetteville, NC 28301
Phone: 910-483-5311
Toll-Free: 1-888-NC-CHARM
Fax: 910-484-6632
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