The Museum of the American G.I. will host its annual History in Motion event on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 and 9. The museum will be offering tank rides, artillery demonstrations, celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary and more.
The event will last from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days and will give patrons of all ages hands-on opportunities to explore living history, including the handling and firing of historic weapons.
Along with vehicle and artillery demonstrations, the event will also include interactive living history camps, where patrons can experience historically accurate displays of troop camps from the Civil War and other conflicts.
Executive Director Leisha Mullins, Ph.D., expressed the importance of experiencing history firsthand, especially in the 21st century.
“To be able to go forward, you need to know where you came from,” Mullins said. “… Also, the United States has grown as a country. … We are not the same as we were 250 years ago. … It also gives us a chance to appreciate how much we’ve been able to change and grow while we still can acknowledge we have things that we still need to address.”
Mullins explained that, though many of these historical weapons carry war-torn pasts, it’s critical for people today to understand the true nature of such weapons.
“[A flamethrower] is a terrible weapon, but if you don’t understand its lethality, and you don’t understand why we used it, then … that goes back to making the same mistake over again,” Mullins said. “ … But now you have a chance to see these weapons in person. While it’s fun to fire them, it still might give you a chance to understand what their original design was for.”
The History in Motion event will hold a unique small-arms firearm display at 10:30 a.m. each day to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country. The demonstration will begin with small arms from the Revolutionary War, gradually progressing forward in time with each weapon.
Mullins said the day will end with a massive artillery demonstration of different weapons firing off individually before being fired off all together for one grand finale.
For the vehicles, Mullins explained that each display will feature a different exhibition for crowds to witness.
“We might fire the machine gun, another one we’ll fire the main gun, and another, maybe, will show how the crews get on and off the vehicle or the turret turns,” Mullins said. “So each one’s gonna have some little special demonstration.”
There will be two major vehicle demonstrations each day at both 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m..
History senior and Texas A&M Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society President Hannah Kalinkewicz urged community members to support the museum and witness these artifacts in action.
“Museums are the cornerstone of education,” Kalinkewicz said. “It’s what makes education accessible for leagues of people, people from all over the world. So I think History in Motion … it’s kind of awe-inspiring. History is no longer just a paper, it’s no longer just words on a page that you’re reading … it’s something that you can see and you can touch and you can feel and experience that with a community … to understand what it was like to be there.”
Two new additions to the museum’s vehicle collection will be unveiled at the event this year: a Marine Corps Landing Vehicle, Tracked and a Marine Corps Jeep equipped to carry radio equipment. Both vehicles will be stationary during the event, available for patrons to observe in static displays.
The museum will also be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps, offering birthday cake to attendees while supplies last.
Mullins recommended that patrons arrive early if they want to guarantee a ride in the tanks, as tickets sell fast. General admission tickets are available in person or online. Food trucks will also be on site, and parking will be available for free in the Blitzen Lot of Santa’s Wonderland.
Mullins said that in order to keep looking forward to the future, sometimes people need to take a step back in time.
“People tend a lot of times to look at just what’s left to be done,” Mullins said. “‘What do we still have left to do? What have we not accomplished yet?’ Instead of looking at, ‘No, we’re not where we want to be as a country, but we have problems that we might have had 250 years ago. We’ve addressed some of them, and we’ve been able to go forward.’ … [History in Motion] is just an opportunity to really take stock and take pride in what we’ve been able to do and change and accomplish.”
Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for kids aged 5 to 17 and free for those 5 and under. Patrons can skip the line at the gate by ordering a ticket online. Gates open both days at 9 a.m., an hour before the event begins.
