National Infantry Museum
Encyclopedia
The National Infantry Museum is a museum
located in South Columbus
, Georgia
, just outside Fort Benning
, the home of the Infantry. The museum honors the history of infantry
forces in the United States Army
.
The museum is 190000 square feet (17,651.6 m²) in size and cost $107 million to build. The first two exhibits to open in March 2009 were The Officer Candidate School Hall of Honor and The Ranger Hall of Honor with the remaining exhibits being available during the grand opening on June 19, 2009. The museum's signature exhibit is called, "The Last 100 Yards" and contains scenes from eight wars in US infantry history and features lifelike figures cast from actual soldiers.
The museum features its own IMAX
Theatre, as well as its own restaurant (the Fife and Drum).
The private, non-profit National Infantry Foundation developed and operates the facility, which replaces a (now closed) smaller on-post museum housed in its former hospital. The exhibits and artifacts are under the control of the US Army-employed Director of the Infantry Museum.
The National Infantry Museum stores a memorial to the Soldiers who have been awarded three Combat Infantryman Badges (CIB) in the course of their Army careers; having meet the basic and specific requirements for award of the CIB for each instance award was made. At a minimum the Soldier must:
Specific eligibility requirements are enumerated in the article Combat Infantryman Badge
and Army Regulation 600-8-22.
The Combat Infantryman Badge has been a prized award of the United States Army Infantry since its 1943 authorization. It has been said, that the Combat Infantryman Badge is the infantryman's most prestigious award, next to the Medal of Honor. Although Army Regulations provide for a fourth award possibility, the Army has nearly made it impossible to not only earn a fourth but to receive more than two is difficult according to Lieutenant Colonel Albert N. Garland in his 1996 article The Combat Infantryman Badge.
Honoring a Rare Achievement
Major General David E. Grange, Jr. was the Commanding General at Fort Benning, Georgia between 15 June 1979 and 2 August 1981 and a recipient of the 3rd award of the Combat Infantryman Badge. He understood being awarded three Combat Infantryman Badges was a rare achievement and thought a list should be compiled to celebrate these men of distinction. With his urging the Infantry Museum at Fort Benning began collecting names of known 3rd CIB recipients.
By 1983 the museum had collected and set to bronze the names of two hundred and thirty men and the unveiling of a memorial to these Soldiers and the unknowns was conducted at Fort Benning. An additional 79 names have been added to the bronze plaques.
The List
The list of recipients is not considered the "definitive" list, and is not sanctioned by the U.S. Army as 'Official'. A complete list may never be fully known as the Army does not keep records of the number of CIB's that have been awarded to individuals. Only the individual Soldier's record would list this information. Identification today is in the hands of the recipient or his family.
Although many men served long tenures in the Army, not all found themselves in a shoot back situation that also met the other requirements for award of the CIB. There are publicly known to be 309 men who have received three Combat Infantryman Badges. These men would have had to have seen combat in World War II, the Korean Conflict
(sic
), and the Vietnam Conflict
(sic). The War on Terrorism (Afghanistan, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM) and (Iraq, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM) are also qualifying periods for award of one CIB. Hypothetically a twenty year old Soldier in 1953, who also fought in Vietnam. would have to have a fifty year career to be eligible in 2003 for a third CIB.
In 2009 the museum opened in its new location off of Fort Benning
and the exhibit showing the list has not been re-established. Plans for it to be included in some way are being developed.
Below is the alphabetical listing of recipients of three Combat Infantryman Badges.
Soldiers being added to the list must have proof of receipt of the award in the form of a copy of the issuing order showing award of the CIB 3rd Award. Individual award orders issued by an authorized headquarters which publishes the award indicate the number of the award being awarded to the Soldier. Additionally, Soldier's DD Form 214
, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty should list the award with the identifier "3d AWD" or a variation thereof. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the museum at;The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center, 1775 Legacy Way, Columbus, Georgia 31903
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
located in South Columbus
South Columbus, Georgia
South Columbus, or the southside, as locals refer to it as, is a district in Columbus, Georgia, situated just below financial district of Downtown Columbus, and just above the United States Army post Fort Benning. It is mainly the military-houseing area of Columbus...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, just outside Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, the home of the Infantry. The museum honors the history of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
forces in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
The museum is 190000 square feet (17,651.6 m²) in size and cost $107 million to build. The first two exhibits to open in March 2009 were The Officer Candidate School Hall of Honor and The Ranger Hall of Honor with the remaining exhibits being available during the grand opening on June 19, 2009. The museum's signature exhibit is called, "The Last 100 Yards" and contains scenes from eight wars in US infantry history and features lifelike figures cast from actual soldiers.
The museum features its own IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
Theatre, as well as its own restaurant (the Fife and Drum).
The private, non-profit National Infantry Foundation developed and operates the facility, which replaces a (now closed) smaller on-post museum housed in its former hospital. The exhibits and artifacts are under the control of the US Army-employed Director of the Infantry Museum.
Former exhibit honored a rare achievement
- a. Be an Infantryman satisfactorily performing Infantry duties.
- b. Be assigned to an Infantry unit during such time as the unit is engaged in active ground combat.
- c. Actively participate in such ground combat.
Specific eligibility requirements are enumerated in the article Combat Infantryman Badge
Combat Infantryman Badge
The Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...
and Army Regulation 600-8-22.
The Combat Infantryman Badge has been a prized award of the United States Army Infantry since its 1943 authorization. It has been said, that the Combat Infantryman Badge is the infantryman's most prestigious award, next to the Medal of Honor. Although Army Regulations provide for a fourth award possibility, the Army has nearly made it impossible to not only earn a fourth but to receive more than two is difficult according to Lieutenant Colonel Albert N. Garland in his 1996 article The Combat Infantryman Badge.
Honoring a Rare Achievement
Major General David E. Grange, Jr. was the Commanding General at Fort Benning, Georgia between 15 June 1979 and 2 August 1981 and a recipient of the 3rd award of the Combat Infantryman Badge. He understood being awarded three Combat Infantryman Badges was a rare achievement and thought a list should be compiled to celebrate these men of distinction. With his urging the Infantry Museum at Fort Benning began collecting names of known 3rd CIB recipients.
By 1983 the museum had collected and set to bronze the names of two hundred and thirty men and the unveiling of a memorial to these Soldiers and the unknowns was conducted at Fort Benning. An additional 79 names have been added to the bronze plaques.
The List
The list of recipients is not considered the "definitive" list, and is not sanctioned by the U.S. Army as 'Official'. A complete list may never be fully known as the Army does not keep records of the number of CIB's that have been awarded to individuals. Only the individual Soldier's record would list this information. Identification today is in the hands of the recipient or his family.
Although many men served long tenures in the Army, not all found themselves in a shoot back situation that also met the other requirements for award of the CIB. There are publicly known to be 309 men who have received three Combat Infantryman Badges. These men would have had to have seen combat in World War II, the Korean Conflict
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
(sic
Sic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
), and the Vietnam Conflict
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(sic). The War on Terrorism (Afghanistan, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM) and (Iraq, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM) are also qualifying periods for award of one CIB. Hypothetically a twenty year old Soldier in 1953, who also fought in Vietnam. would have to have a fifty year career to be eligible in 2003 for a third CIB.
In 2009 the museum opened in its new location off of Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
and the exhibit showing the list has not been re-established. Plans for it to be included in some way are being developed.
Below is the alphabetical listing of recipients of three Combat Infantryman Badges.
Soldiers being added to the list must have proof of receipt of the award in the form of a copy of the issuing order showing award of the CIB 3rd Award. Individual award orders issued by an authorized headquarters which publishes the award indicate the number of the award being awarded to the Soldier. Additionally, Soldier's DD Form 214
DD Form 214
The DD Form 214, officially DD Form 214 "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", but generally referred to as a "DD 214", is a document of the United States Department of Defense, issued upon a military service member's retirement, separation or discharge from active-duty...
, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty should list the award with the identifier "3d AWD" or a variation thereof. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the museum at;The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center, 1775 Legacy Way, Columbus, Georgia 31903