National Guard Memorial Museum

10/23/2026

Earlier this week, the history of the Pennsylvania National Guard was the highlight of the Great American Journey by NBC News.

This episode features the National Guard Memorial Museum's very own William Roulett.

Pennsylvania National Guard Association Pennsylvania Military Museum Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company 28th Infantry Division Association

Watch A Country United (Season 1, Episode 4) of The Great American Journey or get episode details on NBC.com

10/23/2026

The latest episode of The Great American Journey highlights the uniqueness of National Guard service and the role of the Guard throughout the nation's history. The segment features the Pennsylvania National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap, as well as an interview with Will Roulett, deputy director of the National Guard Educational Foundation.
Pennsylvania National Guard Pennsylvania National Guard Association National Guard Memorial Museum The National Guard Air National Guard National Guard The Adjutant General of Pennsylvania
Watch the episode here: https://www.nbc.com/the-great-american-journey/video/a-country-united/9000488745

10/21/2026

🇺🇸 What makes a great leader in time of war?

As America commemorates its 250th anniversary, we reflect on the extraordinary leaders whose courage, decisions, and vision helped shape our nation's history.

Join Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author Rick Atkinson for the 14th Annual Haydn Williams WWII Memorial Legacy Lecture, “Washington and Eisenhower at War: The Emergence of National Leaders.”

From the American Revolution to World War II, discover how George Washington and Dwight D. Eisenhower confronted the challenges of war and emerged as two of America's most consequential national leaders.

Atkinson delivered our inaugural Legacy Lecture in 2013, and we are delighted to welcome him back for this special presentation!

📅 Tuesday, November 17 | 9:00 a.m. ET

📍 National Defense University, Washington, D.C., or attend virtually

Registration is required. Reserve your place today!

🔗 https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/legacy-lecture

10/19/2026

, on October 19th 1781, the British surrender to the Continental Army at Yorktown, Virginia.

Here is a previous Minuteman Minute covering the battle, the Virginia National Guard role, and eventual British surrender.

https://www.ngaus.org/video-library/minuteman-minute-virginia-militia-battle-yorktown

Virginia National Guard Enlisted Association Museum of the Virginia National Guard 29th Infantry Division 29th Division Association Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company

At the culminating battle of the American Revolution, Virginia’s Governor Thomas Nelson, Jr. led 3,700 militia. With a combined American and French force, they defeated the British, a victory that eventually led to American independence. To learn more about the Virginia Militia at Yorktown, visit ...

10/19/2026

10/19/2026

Browse 's bookshevles on C-SPAN and American History TV.

Missouri National Guard Truman Library Institute

Harry Truman once said "All good leaders must be readers." Curator ...

10/13/2026

“…we gave them a very good drubbing…”

Read our latest blog post by historian Matthew E. Reardon of The Connecticut National Guard about the British defeat at the First Battle of Saratoga.

National Guard Association of the United States - NGAUS National Guard Association of Connecticut

“…we gave them a very good drubbing…” Cook’s Battalion of Connecticut Militia at the First Battle of Saratoga (Battle of Freeman’s Farm), September 19, 1777 CPT (CT) Matthew E. Reardon, Command Historian, Connecticut Military Department

10/09/2026

South Dakota National Guard South Dakota National Guard Museum

Joseph Jacob Foss of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions on October 9, 1942, over Guadalcanal.

Foss was a private in the 147th Field Artillery Regiment, Sioux Falls, South Dakota National Guard, from 1939 to 1940. By 1940, Foss enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves to join the Naval Aviation Cadet program. After being designated a Naval Aviator, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. On October 9, 1942, Foss and his group were launched off the USS Copahee es**rt carrier and flew 350 miles to reach Guadalcanal. Foss soon gained a reputation for aggressive fighter tactics and uncanny gunnery skills. He shot down a Japanese plane on his first combat mission, and in the several months of sustained combat, Foss had shot down a total of 26 enemy aircraft. Having matched the record of 26 kills held by America’s top World War I ace, Eddie Rickenbacker, Foss was accorded the honor of becoming America’s first “ace-of-aces” in World War II.

During the Korean War, Foss, then a Colonel, was called to active duty with the United States Air Force, relinquishing command of the 175th Squadron, and served as a Director of Operations and Training for the Central Air Defense Command; he eventually reached the rank of Brigadier General.

In 1955, Foss became the youngest governor of South Dakota at age 39. In 1959, he became the first Commissioner of the American Football League. He stepped aside as commissioner in April 1966, two months before the historic agreement that led to the merger of the AFL and NFL and the creation of the Super Bowl. He was also inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1988, Foss was elected to two consecutive one-year terms as president of the National R***e Association of America. Foss suffered a stroke in October 2002 and died three months later on New Year’s Day, 2003. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

10/09/2026

The National Guard Memorial Museum will be closed in observance of the federal holiday on Monday, October 12th.

We will reopen at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, October 13th.

10/08/2026