VWFCF – Frequently asked questions?

1. Why is the museum closed?

The museum is closed because we do not have a permanent home for the collection. Items from the museum are stored in 8 different locations in Nelson County

The museum was purchased and transferred to our ownership, the Vietnam War and Foreign Conflicts Foundation, from its founder Craig LaMountain who originally collected many artifacts from the Vietnam War to educate future generations.  We, the foundation, is based in Arrington and are currently in the process of looking for a location in Nelson County large enough to house all the museum pieces.  Once a new home is found, we can reunite the museum pieces.

We want to expand the Vietnam War Museum with exhibits of subsequent conflicts, increase the hours of operation and the public visibility of the museum.  Our goal is to provide a modern museum with media displays of veteran interviews and a venue for veterans to record their stories.  

2. What is the purpose of the museum?

The purpose of the museum is based on the following four principals:

• To preserves artifacts from the war

• To remember those who served

• To honor the service and sacrifices of those who served and their families.

• To educate future generations

Some of the guides at the museum will be military personnel who were Veterans of the war and will be able to give first-hand accounts from their experience.  Many of the items can be handled so that the public are able to touch and feel the items which brings a greater understanding and adds to the learning experience for the visitors to the museum.

3. What can I expect to see at the museum?

The museum will depict a full realistic picture of the Vietnam war from all different viewpoints, that is the US Military, the enemy, and the anti-war movement.  There are pieces ranging from aircraft, vehicles, uniforms to handguns and much more. 

Many of the items at the museum have been donated by our board and volunteers and were used during their time in Vietnam. 

Other items are reproductions that help tell the story.  Examples are weapons and specific items to complete a display.

We are currently in the process of documenting the items into a catalogue, but this takes time and money.

4. When will the museum be open?

Opening of the museum is dependent on funding that we receive.

We are currently in phase 1 of 4 phases of reopening the museum, which is to decide preferred option for the new location. 

We are currently developing a business case of options which are:

1.   New Building

2.   To buy existing property and remodel

3.   To rent to own and remodel

4.   Stay as we are.

Options 1 to 3 require large sums of money.  Option 4 would not be our choice going forward as it does not meet our mission but without a large injection of money, it will be the only option available to us.  Once a decision has been made, we will be able to plot out a timeline giving us a better idea of when we expect the museum will be open.

We are currently in Phase One which is the preservation & relocation decision of a new location in the Nelson Country area. The goal of this Phase One Fundraising Plan is to raise $600,000.

We are actively seeking grants, holding events, transporting, and displaying vehicles at local venues to highlight our mission. 

In the interim, we would like to erect a large “carport” like structure at one of the current locations to keep the collection in a suitable environment. This would also ensure that these valuable items both in terms of money and historical importance would not perish from the elements and be preserved for the purpose of educating future generations. This shed would be a portable unit that could be disassembled and rebuild at the permanent home later. 

5. If I donate, what will the money be used for?

Grants acquired, funds donated, and gifted funds will be used for the following:

1.   Preservation (Phase1): Completion of cataloging, packaging, transporting, and storing the collection artifacts.

2.   Business Applications: Includes costs normal business operations related to financial accounting, correspondence, mailing & other forms of communication, fundraising etc.

3.   Relocation: Tentatively this includes the rental fees for collection storage and the initial funds to apply to the down payment for purchase or construction of a museum physical plant.

4.   Educate and awareness: events, social media, marketing etc. It is only though this can we achieve our goals.

6.  I would like to volunteer, what type of activities would I be helping with?

We need volunteers who will help with a variety of different tasks:

• Helping at events

• Maintaining the fleet of vehicles which includes aircrafts and trucks

• Looking for Vietnam and foreign conflict veterans who would want to be involved with the foundations activities and share their stories

• Fund raising

• Help with upkeep of current locations

• Speaking at schools to educate future generations

• As a board member

• Help with website and social media marketing

• Letter writing

  And anything else you can think of to help.