The California State Military Museum was the official Military museum of the State of California. It was located in the Old Sacramento State Historic Park at 1119 Second Street. A new site is under development and the museum is expected to reopen by 2019. The Museum begun in 1991 during the administration of California Governor

Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 36th governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as a United States senator from California betw ...

. 11 years later Governor

Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...

made it a permanent Museum under the California State Military Department, providing it permanent funding. On 13 July 2004, Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

made it the State's official Military Museum. The Museum highlights contributions of individuals and units from California in the US military, and its various military operations and wars. The museum in 2011, through a collaborated effort with the California Department of Veteran Affairs and the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

, represented by guest curator Natalia Visante, created themed exhibitions showcasing various military units. In addition to its main location in Sacramento, the Museum has five satellite Museums located at Camp Roberts in southern Monterey County,

Camp San Luis Obispo Camp San Luis Obispo is the original home of the California Army National Guard. It served as an Infantry Division Camp and Cantonment Area for the United States Army during World War II. History Camp San Luis Obispo, formerly called Camp Mer ...

, Fresno Air National Guard Base, the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base in Orange County and the National Guard Armory in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. To honor Californians who have laid down their lives in the

Global War on Terrorism The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...

, the California State Military Museum built a "Global War on Terrorism Wall of Honor". Constructed of black granite, this memorial is located in the entrance of the museum. The names of the service members who have died

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

, in the attack on the

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be sim ...

, as well as casualties of the

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Campaigns are listed chronologically. The memorial includes their rank, branch of service, and age. Currently, the annual wreath laying ceremony has ended, due to the Museum's closure. The Major General Walter P. Story Memorial Library is one of the finest collections of military history writings in the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. With over 10,000 volumes and growing rapidly, the library is one of the State's hidden educational and historical treasures. Topics range from general

military history Military history is the study of War, armed conflict in the Human history, history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to Politics, local and international relationships. ...

to very specific and one of a kind documents, such as original unit rosters of early

California Militia The California National Guard is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal-state military reserve force. The CA National Guard has three components: the CA Army National Guard, CA Air National Guard, and CA State Guard. ...

units. As of March 2014, the California State Military Museum was closed amid disputes between the non-profit foundation operating it and the California Military Department which oversees its operation. This conflict, in addition to state of California budget constraints, forced indefinite closure of the museum.

References

External links

Official website

Budget and Turf Fights Shutter California Military Museum
* {{Authority control Museums in Sacramento, California Military and war museums in California Museums established in 1991 1991 establishments in California Defunct museums in California

See also

References

External links