A sneak peek inside the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum
After years of planning, the new Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum near Camp Ripley is nearly ready to open.
It's a 40,000 square foot facility that features authentic artifacts and stories.
"A long time coming, but it's going to be worth the wait," said Randal Dietrich, the museum's executive director.
Planning and construction of the museum began five years ago, but the idea has been in the works for decades. Over time, Minnesota veterans have been visiting the camp in Little Falls, eager to share their experiences with anyone who will listen.
"Walking in the door, offering their stories, their artifacts to us. We've been accepting a lot of those. We've never had the space to showcase them in the way that we do now," said Dietrich.
There are more than 25,000 artifacts in the museum, along with historic aircraft and military vehicles.
"This tank, this Stuart tank, indicative of what the boys of Brainerd during 1941 to '42 would have been relying on for protection," said Dietrich.
There's an exhibit for every conflict and war Minnesotans have served in. You'll find veterans' boots, uniforms and weapons. There's even sand from Iwo Jima that a Minnesota Marine brought back from the Japanese Island.
Veterans' voices are also a big part of this. A WCCO story done on Les Schrenk is featured in the World War II exhibit, and shares what it was like to be a POW during wartime.
"World War II legend in Minnesota. We just lost him recently," said Dietrich.
The museum even extends beyond its walls, with each branch of the military well represented.
"We want to build that curiosity for people, to take that next step and become more familiar with that veteran experience, because I think there are lessons to learn from veterans regardless of where you are in life," said Dietrich.
The Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum is located just off of Highway 371 near Camp Ripley. It opens to the public on Sept. 12 and the cost to visit is $5 for adults and $2 for kids.
