Sunday, October 6, 2024
Nearly a decade after its first conception, the National Mounted Warrior Museum (NMWM) experienced its grand opening with heavy fanfare on Sept. 11 in Killeen.
The museum, located just outside the main gate of Fort Cavazos, was designed to commemorate the history of what was first known as Camp Hood.
The National Mounted Warfare Foundation built the world-class museum in the heart of Texas next to Fort Cavazos. This museum honors our mounted soldiers and shares the untold stories of their service to our nation. The National Mounted Warrior Museum features various immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and educational programs for visitors of all ages and brings history to life. Visitors can discover how mounted warfare evolved through hearing personal stories from soldiers, learning about Fort Cavazos' history, gaining insight through simulations, uncovering the military's role in peacekeeping and disaster-relief missions, and much more.
The museum offers over 12,000 square feet of permanent gallery space, over 1,000 square feet of temporary exhibit space, and a 4,900-foot rotunda. The construction of the building was completed in November of 2021 and was gifted to the U.S. Army from the National Mounted Warfare Foundation in January of 2022. The facility sits on 17-acres adjacent to the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Detachment.
Fort Hood, now known as Fort Cavazos, dates its foundation to Camp Hood, which was created in 1942. The Army post was originally built to test tank destroyers and train their crews for service in World War II.
The museum’s exhibits progress through the heavy tanks of World War II to the helicopter operations in Vietnam and continuing to recent history involving Afghanistan and Iraq.
A small exhibit in the museum is dedicated to the displaced communities in Coryell County that were removed during the creation of North Fort Hood and the POW camp that was located just south of Fort Gates. Approximately 470 families were forced to abandon more than 20 Coryell County communities in 1942 to make way for a tank destroyer range at Camp Hood, later called Fort Hood.
The National Mounted Warrior Museum is open to the public at 10 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is located next to the Fort Cavazos Visitors Center at 105 Trooper Lane. Admission to the museum is free.
