BIG CITY GETAWAY

Warren County NJ Tourism presents BIG CITY GETAWAY

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind

AIRBORNE & SPECIAL OPERATIONS MUSEUM 100 BRAGG BLVD., FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28301 910-643-2778 • WWW.ASOMF.ORG

The town of Fayetteville, North Carolina has a deep history, dating back to before the Revolutionary War.

With the Cape Fear River running through it, Fayetteville was a central hub for economic and governmental growth for years.

During the Civil War General Sherman and his Union Troops paid a visit to the armory here in Fayetteville, near the end of the war and burned it, along with large sections of Fayetteville.

With more than 60,000 troops marching through Fayetteville and while he was burning buildings down, he encountered a former classmate at West Point whom he hadn’t seen for years.

That man, Confederate soldier Edward Monaghan, had two sons serving for the Confederacy at the Fayetteville arsenal, where ammunition was made and stored. He pleaded with Sherman not to burn his house.

Sherman obliged, declaring: “There is room enough in this world even for traitors.”

Today the house stands as a library.

Another structure was spared as well. The town’s Market House was saved from destruction, Mayor Archibald McLean and a majority of the seven town commissioners went to Sherman’s lines and negotiated the peaceful surrender of the town. During Sherman’s occupation of Fayetteville, Federal soldiers ew a United States ag from the Market House cupola.

After the Civil War, the Market House remained an important part of the civic and economic life of Fayetteville, functioning as an open market into the 20th century. The upstairs rooms still serve as meeting space.

It stands on the corner of Parson and Gillespie Streets.

Not far from here you will also nd another memorial to war, and more importantly, the warriors that ght them. A place that tells their story.

Welcome to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum.

We made it a point to stop by the fascinating and well-done museum dedicated to these ghting men and women.

On August 16, 1940, Lieutenant Bill Ryder led the Test Platoon to become the rst American ghting man to stand in the door and jump into history. He was followed by Private William King, the rst U.S. enlisted paratrooper. The work that followed in the next four years was amazing. Developing full-scale

airborne operations while engaged in a world war required the passion and dedication of many great leaders. The names are legendary; John Ward, Bud Miley, Bill Yarborough, Red King, and Bill Donovan only begin the distinguished list of airborne pioneers. North Carolina native Major General William C. Lee is “The Father of the U.S. Airborne.”

His drive and desire to develop airborne forces in the U.S. Army earned him this honored distinction.

Established in August 2000, the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum is a rst-class institution that ef ciently and effectively captures, preserves, exhibits, and presents the material culture and heritage of the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Forces from 1940 and into the future. The Museum celebrates over 80 years of Army Airborne and Special Operations history and honors our nation’s Soldiers – past, present, and future.

Walking up to the impressive building the statues that surround the front are amazing in every way and truly capture the spirit of the Airborne and Special Forces warriors.

The museum itself recounts the actions of heroic soldiers from the early days of the Parachute Test Platoon in 1940, to the ongoing Global War on Terrorism. The museum preserves the extraordinary feats performed by the United States Army’s Airborne and the Special Operations Forces, all who jump from the sky, into battle. Here you will see what brings out the best in America’s sons and daughters. This museum is a source of pride to all those who served, or now serve, in the United States Army Airborne and Special Operations units.

Neither Shira nor I had the honor to serve. We were humbled and amazed at what this museum brought to life.

The main exhibit gallery transports you through time, starting in 1940 with the conception of the United States Army Parachute Test Platoon and ending with today’s Airborne and Special Operations units. Much has changed in the world since the battles of World War II and the con icts of the Cold War era, but the courage and dedication of the American Soldier is a common bond that

ties each generation together.

If there is trouble for the United States – these warriors will be there.

This part of the Tar Heel State has much to offer and with the superb backroads of the mountains to the west is a great place to top, meander a bit and certainly visit the Airborne & Special Operations Museum – it is a humbling experience. ,