The State Historical Society and the North Dakota National Guard have signed a “memorandum of agreement” to create a North Dakota Military Museum.
The plan is for the museum to be on the Capitol grounds, connected to the Heritage Center.
"We have a rich military history, going back to Lewis and Clark," said Guard Adjutant General Alan Dohrmann. "We have two air bases, 9 Medal of Honor winners from the Battle of the Burning Bridge in the Philippines, the first F-16 over the Pentagon on 9-11 — there's just a rich history here. And we need to capture that."
Historical Society director Dr. Bill Peterson said being able to recognize the role the military has played in North Dakota's history is really important.
"We already have about ten percent of our collection that is military, so we already have the history well-documented," Peterson said. "Giving the public a place to see, and top provide people with a reflective space will be pretty incredible."
Dohrmann said he hopes the new museum will also inspire people to join the military.
"More and more, the military is becoming a family business, a legacy force," Dohrmann said, "I think it's great that we expose our young people to the history, but also the opportunities."
Such a museum has been talked about for years. Dohrmann said the Legislature will have to be involved, because it is proposed for the Capitol grounds.
Lawmakers have already given the Guard permission to fundraise for the new museum.