45th Infantry Division Museum(7)

OKLAHOMA CITY - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

Some call it a coincidence, others say fate or kismet. I call it dumb luck. Yesterday I had the urge to go to "the museum with all the military vehicles out front." I couldn't remember the exact name of it, but I knew about where it was. I looked up National Guard and headed that way. I discovered it has a couple of names depending on who you ask. It's the National Guard Museum or the 45th Infantry Museum. As I cruised down NE 36th, I spotted it, helicopters, tanks, and planes, oh my!

I parked and hit the path that winds through the extensive collection of military vehicles. There were also monuments dedicated to specific groups of service men and women that were part of the 45th over the years. I was like a kid in a real life G.I. Joe display. I was snapping pictures and wishing I could have brough my dad here. He would have loved it as much as I was. After I perused the grounds for a bit, I headed inside the former Officer's Club to see what other amazing things they had.

When I got in, there was a desk where two men sat visiting. One of the gentlemen looked at my longer hair and beard and said, "By the looks of you, you weren't in the military." I concurred even though I've seen rougher looking guys that WERE in the military. Ha! He also told me that I was lucky to be there. I agreed with that as well. But he contuinued, "This Saturday is the last day we're going to be open so you made it just in time." I voiced my concern about being shut down. He assured me that all was well since they're going to be moving to a brand new facility in about a year. (After my visit I drove by their new home and it looks fantastic. They're going to be happy there.)

I bit him farewell and began wandering the halls. What an incredible collection of war and military gear, vehicles, weapons, booklets, pamphlets, collectables, propaganda, comics, uniforms, and on and on. I was thoroughly awed by what the 45th Museum had to offer. I was disappointed in myself for putting off coming to see it. Since I knew that they place was closing at the end of the week, I didn't hesitate to take pictures of nearly everything. True, they're going to have all of this stuff in a new museum, but it's not going to be the exact same as where it is now. Does that make sense? It's the same, but it will be different in the new place. I usually share a few photos for you to get a sense of the museum's vibe. I don't want to share everything because I'd love for you do go see them for yourself. But for this one, I am going to share more pictures than I normally do since no one will be able to see how it was displayed in the old building after 31/5/2025.

I've already mention how in depth this collection is, how well cared for the exhibits are. What I haven't said yet was how easy it was to forget the gravity of what all these displays were a part of, war. It was great to see an ambulance with medical supplies. It was cool to see mannequins atop a tank with radio conversations crackling in the ether. But then it occured to me that all of this shiny metal was once part of battles that I can't imagine since I wasn't able to serve in the military. The men and women who fought the wars, who died for us, who lived and were forever changed by war, they were here too watching me take pictures of their history. A side note: there are a couple of photos from WWII in this mix. One has a prominant swastika in one of the displays. I included it because it happened. It is part of history whether we want it to be or not. We cannot ignore history or we are doomed to repeat it. And because there are people in the world who would love to repeat that kind of history, rather than being upset by an image, learn about it and help us prevent things like that from happening again.

Normally, I sign off telling you to go see this museum. But unless you see this before this Saturday, you'll have to wait a year before you can see this impressive collection that the 45th Infantry Museum has painstakingly put together. I look forward to their new digs. I hope to see you there when they reopen. They will be close to where they are now. Their new building will be near the Railway Museum and the Oklahoma National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters.

7 of 523 - Jonathan Elmore ©2025