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Young and Old Soldiers Break Ground on New National
Infantry Museum and Heritage Park
 Columbus,
Georgia -- September 21, 2004: A mix of suits, work clothes
and military uniforms filled seats and bleachers as ground was broken
on the new National Infantry Museum and Heritage Park. The crowd
reflected the widespread pool of interest and support the $70 million
project has generated.
The facility's mission is to honor the American
Infantry's legacy of valor and sacrifice, and to illustrate the
high cost these men and their families pay for our freedom. It also
will cement the important relationship between the communities of
Columbus and Fort Benning, Georgia, according to keynote speaker
William B. Turner, former chairman of W.C. Bradley Co.
"This wonderful facility will serve as a bridge
between our communities as well as for the entire region and this
nation," Turner said. "Our support of this very special
facility, that will honor all of those Soldiers and families who
have sacrificed for us, will send a very clear signal across the
nation that we stand solidly behind our Soldiers and consider Ft.
Benning a national treasure."
Chief of Infantry and Fort Benning Commanding General
BG (P) Benjamin Freakley recognized a number of people in the audience
whose stories are at the heart of the new museum's mission. SPC
Jeremy Feldbusch was defending a dam in Iraq when an inch-long piece
of burning shrapnel pierced his eye and left him blind and brain
damaged. LTC Joseph Rippetoe, who survived two tours in Vietnam
himself, had to bury his son, Russell, after the Ranger was killed
in a suicide bombing. And Mrs. Jackie Livaudais gave birth to her
third son just after husband SSG Nino Livaudais was killed in that
same bombing. All three families said they came to the groundbreaking
because they believe it's time the nation gives Infantrymen the
honor they're due.
Also attending the groundbreaking were three Medal
of Honor recipients: COL (R) Robert B. Nett of Columbus, Ga.; COL
(R) Ola Lee Mize of Gadsden, Ala. and COL (R) Walter J. Marm, Jr.,
of Fremont, N.C.
Capping off the ceremony, a young soldier representing
this and future generations and an 82-year-old Medal of Honor recipient
representing the courageous men who came before him used a standard-issue
entrenching tool and a commemorative shovel for the ceremonial groundbreaking.
Joining them were Mr. William B. Turner; BG (P) Benjamin Freakley;
MG (R) Jerry White, chairman of the National Infantry Foundation
Board; Mr. Bob Poydasheff, Columbus Mayor; and Mr. Michael Gaymon,
Columbus Chamber of Commerce President.
In the coming weeks, crews will begin work on the
200-acre site which connects Fort Benning and Columbus. The first
activity will involve the relocation of seven 1940s-era buildings
from elsewhere on Fort Benning. The buildings will be used to recreate
a typical Company Street during World War II. Construction on the
museum building will follow as additional funds become available
in the National Infantry Foundation's $70 million capital campaign.
In the meantime, architects and exhibit designers
are working on detailed plans for the museum. Architect E. Verner
Johnson, who traveled from Boston to attend the groundbreaking,
remarked on being selected from an elite field of candidates to
design the new museum. "We know how important it is to help
create a world-class museum that will help the nation understand
the critical role the Infantry plays in protecting our freedom.
We are proud to be a part of this project." Johnson and his
team have already released preliminary drawings of their vision
for the facility.
Exhibits for the museum are being designed by the
internationally renowned exhibit design firm of Christopher Chadbourne
and Associates of Boston. The firm has been responsible for exhibits
including "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War," which
will open at the National Museum of American History on Veterans
Day; as well as exhibits for the Museum of Science and Industry
in Chicago and the visitors centers at both the Grand Canyon and
Yellowstone National Parks. CCA believes in creating rich, three-dimensional
environments that visually excite and involve visitors through the
use of audio, tactile and interactive elements.
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