California State Military Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Location | Sacramento, California |
| Type | Military museum |
| Owner | California Military Department |
The California State Military Museum was once the official military museum for the State of California. It was located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park at 1119 Second Street. The museum is currently working on a new location and hopes to open again by 2019.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The California State Military Museum began in 1991. This was during the time when Pete Wilson was the Governor of California. About 11 years later, Governor Gray Davis made it a permanent museum. This meant it would always have money from the California State Military Department. On July 13, 2004, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger officially named it the state's military museum.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum shows the important things that people and groups from California did in the United States military. It covers different military actions and wars. In 2011, the museum worked with other groups to create special exhibits. These exhibits showed different military units.
Other Museum Locations
Besides its main spot in Sacramento, the museum also has five smaller locations. These are called satellite museums. You can find them at:
- Camp Roberts in southern Monterey County
- Camp San Luis Obispo
- Fresno Air National Guard Base
- The Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base in Orange County
- The National Guard Armory in San Diego
Honoring Heroes
The California State Military Museum built a special memorial. It is called the "Global War on Terrorism Wall of Honor." This wall honors Californians who lost their lives in the Global War on Terrorism.
About the Wall of Honor
The memorial is made of black granite. You can find it right at the entrance of the museum. It lists the names of service members who died since the September 11, 2001. This includes those who died in the attack on the Pentagon. It also lists people who died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The names are listed in order of when they died. The memorial also shows their military rank, which part of the military they served in, and their age. The museum used to have a ceremony each year at the wall. However, these ceremonies have stopped because the museum is closed.
The Museum Library
The Major General Walter P. Story Memorial Library is a great place for military history books. It is one of the best collections in the western United States. The library has over 10,000 books and is still growing. It is a hidden treasure for learning about history. You can find books on general military history. There are also very special and unique documents. For example, it has original lists of members from early California Militia groups.
Why the Museum Closed
In March 2014, the California State Military Museum closed. This happened because of disagreements. There was a conflict between the non-profit group that ran the museum and the California Military Department. The Military Department is in charge of the museum. Also, the State of California had money problems. These issues caused the museum to close for an unknown amount of time.
