One Soldier at a Time

The numbers at U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center are impressive. The facility houses 16 million military items, 350,000 unique military history volumes and the largest collection of Civil War photography in the world. What makes USAHEC special is something much smaller and that's the individual stories that only they can tell. USAHEC focuses on telling the soldier's story, through their personal accounts, journals and records.

Background: 

• The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (commonly referred to as USAHEC) is the United States Army's preeminent museum and research complex. They are dedicated to educating and preserving the legacy of the men and women who have served their nation as soldiers.
• The Military History Institute, inside USAHEC, is the primary facility where researchers study Army history and official and unofficial patrons are welcome.
• The USAHEC Visitor & Education Center is dedicated to educating the public about the culture of the U.S. Army and the American Soldier by providing visitors with class room tours, continuing education programs, special events, workshops and lectures.
• The USAHEC Army Heritage Center acquires, preserves, exhibits and interprets the artifacts of the United States Army and the men and women who served that Army at home and abroad. 
• Outside of USAHEC lies the mile-long outdoor interpretive Army Heritage Trail. This trail features full-scale military exhibits ranging from Revolutionary War to modern times.

Highlights & Modern History: USAHEC works closely with the nearby U.S. Army War College located on the historic Carlisle Barracks.

• Today, U.S. Army War College instructors teach officers the latest techniques in warfare; 250-years ago Colonel Henry Bouquet trained British and Provincial troops in Indian-fighting techniques.
• The Carlisle Barracks maintains more than 100 historic buildings, 22 of which are listed in the National Historic Register. Take a self-guided tour of the Barracks. Brochures are available at the Cumberland Valley Visitors Center.
• Olympian Jim Thorpe, along with 10,000 other American Indian Children, attended the controversial Carlisle Indian School from 1879 to 1918. Visit the Carlisle Indian School Cemetery on the grounds of the Carlisle Barracks.

You can walk through hundreds of museums and learn about every war that was ever fought but to truly go back in time and understand the impact, importance and dedication of the U.S. Army you need to hear the stories from those who experienced it.