MIDWEST | OHIO
National Veterans Memorial and Museum
Through Their Eyes Veterans museum details the personal side of the military experience
A
t the National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM) in Columbus, Ohio, you won’t find military tanks outside or a helicopter dangling from the ceiling. Instead, the focus is on telling the compelling stories of those who have served this country through recordings, images and personal artifacts. “You know you’re in a special place the minute you see it,” says retired
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GO ESCAPE | SUMMER 2021
Army Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter, president and CEO of the NVMM. The vision of veteran, astronaut and Ohio Sen. John Glenn, who died in 2016, NVMM opened in October 2018 and drew 69,000 visitors in its first year. Like so many museums, NVMM had to close its doors in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Fortunately, it was quick to embrace virtual field trips and events — and that has helped it greatly expand its audience. It has now reopened on the weekends, with health
and safety measures in place. The already iconic circular building features 14 alcoves with themes that take visitors through a service member’s career, starting with topics such as leaving home and basic training, through combat operations and returning home. The story is narrated by 25 veterans who speak in video clips as you make your way through the facility. “You get to about the oath of office, and that’s when people realize just how unique we are — they really get >
BRAD FEINKNOPF PHOTOGRAPHY
BY AMY SINATRA AYRES
