On Saturday, October 24^th, at 10:30 a.m., the American Freedom Museum will host a dedication ceremony to open a new one-of-a-kind outdoor memorial and educational exhibit. In keeping with the Museum’s mission, this exhibit will HONOR American veterans and military personnel who have heroically served our country and who have sacrificed their lives protecting our God-given freedoms, while also EDUCATING this and future generations about the rich heritage they have as Americans. Through the generosity and collaboration of a lead donor and many other charitable businesses, this exhibit will mark the first of its kind in the United States.

The dedication ceremony for the new Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial and Walk of Honor Teaching Exhibit will be held on the Freedom Plaza at the American Freedom Museum on Saturday, October 24th at 10:30 a.m. Brigadier General Joe Ramirez, Commandant of Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, along with representatives of the Texas A&M Ross Volunteers, will be a part of this special event. The Ross Volunteers will be presenting the colors and will conclude the ceremony with a 21-gun salute. Veterans from all branches of the military will be placing flags at 22 separate stations to remember those who lost their lives during each conflict.

The exhibit includes the “Walk of Honor” which consists of a thirty-six panel walking tribute in a park like setting with picnic tables and benches for reflection.  The tribute memorializes operations occurring after the Vietnam War up to the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks with educational information, order of battles, engraved images and listings by name of each U.S. military casualty. The operations include the Iran Hostage Crisis, El Salvador, Beirut Barracks Bombing, Invasion of Grenada, Operation El Dorado Canyon Libya, USS Stark Bombing, Invasion of Panama, Persian Gulf War, World Trade Center Bombing, Mogadishu and Somalia, Khobar Towers Bombing, and USS Cole Bombing.

The Walk of Honor ends with a 9/11 Tribute made up of thirteen panels listing the almost 3,000 casualties to ensure they will never be forgotten.

The centerpiece of the outdoor exhibit includes a thirty panel Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial. The memorial contains all of the almost 7,000 names of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting the Global War on Terrorism from 2001 – 2019. Casualties are listed alphabetically by year for easy referencing. It also contains timelines, maps and other general information about the conflicts along with a Medal of Honor Recipient panel.

The Museum will also be opening its newly renovated Korean War and Persian Gulf War galleries along with premiering several new artifacts and new educational and technology additions.

The Museum is located on the campus of The Brook Hill School in Bullard, Texas, and is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Museum is also open for scheduled groups of 15+ on Monday – Friday. For more information, visit www.americanfreedommuseum.org, or contact Museum Director, Jan Hommel at 903-894-5252 or by email at [email protected].