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Thursday, Mar 28th

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Military museum idea gaining momentum

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Gallup’s current prominent historian, Martin Link, has taken an idea to the favorable momentum stage of development and is using that for leverage in his quest to establish a Military Museum in America’s Most Patriotic Small Town.

One of Link’s first shots in this battle was to establish a public information campaign. He did this with an article in the Gallup Independent last week, which detailed the importance of the military in this area from 1868 to the present. That history lesson alone was enough to get the adrenalin flowing for some more recent veterans, and also exposed much younger readers to the true facts of how their ancestors managed life before, during, and after the numerous conflicts of this country.

Link has further advanced his idea with talks to the Code Talkers Association and the City of Gallup, receiving some support for his idea from both. And a location for his museum has also been solidified in his mind, the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center on the North side of town.

“It’s ideal because of the placement in relation to I-40.” Link said. “Visitors will be able to see it as they are driving through and some will want to stop and see what we have.”

The building would need some additional dressing, of course. Extra flagpoles with banners flying to represent the different conflicts would be one inexpensive idea, and perhaps a selection of patriotic murals on the exterior walls would be another.

The building is large enough, though aged, and should survive many more years. The parking is more than adequate, though a new coat of sealant would be helpful, with stripes for more controlled parking an additional plus.

The effort would be one capable of growing over time as new artifacts are added, and the patriotic flavor could be further enhanced with Muzak from John Phillips Sousa.

Martin’s idea is still in its infancy, but his plan is one worthy of consideration for the community and the surrounding area. The spirits of the Dine’ returning from Bosque Redondo, the Navajos used as scouts against the Chiricahua Apaches, the Buffalo Soldiers at Ft. Wingate, Roosevelt’s Rough Riders recruited from Gallup, all the workers at the Ordinance Depot, the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment that suffered through the Bataan Death March, the young Navajo men who created the Code Talkers, and Hiroshi Miyamura, Gallup’s only Medal of Honor recipient would all be recognized in one place.

And besides those mentioned above would be the efforts of all other veterans in all other conflicts, who by their very presence helped our military to survive and even prosper, in good times and bad. Not heroes in the true sense of the word, but vital in their consistency.

‘All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don’t ever let up. Don’t ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain.’ Gen. George S. Patton’s speech to the U.S. Third Army, Southern England, June 5, 1944

So often we praise our obvious heroes, those men and women who create or fight in such a manner that is the subject for many books or movies. This museum would not ignore them, but neither would it ignore the soldier(s) in support roles that diligently worked behind the combat arenas for the good of all.

It’s only a thought at this time, a Military Museum in Gallup, but it is a good and proper thought that needs more serious consideration.