Museum Amplifies Guard's Vietnam Role - NGEF
Source: http://www.ngef.org/Museum
Archived: 2026-04-23 16:00
Museum Amplifies Guard's Vietnam Role - NGEF
Blog
Resources
National Guard Heritage Map
Contact Us
Honor a Guardsman
Guard Muster Search
Guard Muster Sign-Up
Facebook
Twitter
National Guard Educational Foundation
MENU +
About
Staff
Board of Directors
Museum Core Documents
Museum
Minuteman Minutes: An NGEF Video Series
2025 NGEF Commemorative Ornament
Museum Galleries
For Teachers
Introductory Video
Virtual Tour
Schedule a Tour
Donate an Artifact
Library
Archives
Finding Aids
National Guard Magazine Pathfinder, 1907 – 1914
Military Libraries
War Colleges
Current History (2020-) Digital Resources
Submit a Research Request
Recognition
National Guard Memorial
Medal of Honor Gallery
Alphabetical Roster of National Guard Medal of Honor Recipients
National Guard Medal of Honor Recipients by State
The National Guard and the American Revolution
National Guard Units with Revolutionary War Lineage
The National Guard in the Vietnam Era
Honoring the Fallen (9/11-Present)
National Guard Monument
Brig. Gen. William W. Spruance Legacy Award
Guard Muster
Events
28th Annual NGEF Golf Tournament
The Bedford Boys: One American Town’s Ultimate D-day Sacrifice
Forging the Framework: A Book Talk
Dogwood: A National Guard unit’s war in Iraq
From Bataan to Freedom: A Presentation with Judy Reed
The Liberator: The Odyssey of Felix Sparks
Donate
Online Donation
The Legion De Lafayette
LDL Members – Corporations, Associations and Foundations
LDL Members – States
LDL Members – Individuals
Get Involved
Internship Opportunities
Planned Giving
Dream Giveaway
George and Charlotte Demetriades Guardian Program
USAA Guardian Scholarship
The Van Hipp Heroes Scholarship Fund
Museum Amplifies Guard’s Vietnam Role
Home
>
Press Releases
>
NGAUS Washington Report
> Museum Amplifies Guard’s Vietnam Role
The Vietnam Era Gallery in the National Guard Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., now tells more of the National Guard story from that complicated and uncertain time.
The renovated exhibit explains how the Guard became a haven for people who wanted to dodge the draft and escape service in Vietnam, an element of the Guard’s history that had been missing from the exhibit.
It also expands on the Guard’s law enforcement role in anti-war protests and race riots that marked those tumultuous years.
“The renovated exhibit addresses the Guard’s history in a more straightforward manner,” said Amelia Meyer, the National Guard Educational Foundation archivist. “The Guard was caught up in the same cultural and social turmoil as the rest of the country.”
In an article in the March issue of NATIONAL GUARD, Meyer notes that President Lyndon Johnson’s decision to not send the Guard in large numbers to Vietnam directly impacted the Guard’s inclusion in subsequent operations through the Total Force policy.
Anne Armstrong, the NGEF deputy director, says the renovation, which is now complete, better puts the war and the unrest of the 1960s in context and enhances the experience for a museum visitor.
“Following that thread is so much easier in the new gallery, mainly because of the new, streamlined text, but also because of the photo choices and the layout with better lighting and less physical clutter,” she said.
The renovated exhibit also includes a new artifact, the blouse worn in Vietnam by 1st Lt. Roger C. Schultz, an Iowa Guardsman who volunteered for duty in Vietnam and served there with an active-component unit in 1969.
He later became the Army Guard director as a lieutenant general. Schultz also donated funds for the renovation.
Donate to NGEF
There are many ways you can support NGEF’s efforts! Become a major donor, honor a Guardsman, set up a planned gift, or make a general donation.
Donate Now
Visit the National Guard Museum and Library!
One Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Monday – Friday, except holidays
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(Last Admission at 3:30 p.m.)
Connect with Us
Facebook
Twitter
Contact Us
Copyright © 2026
National Guard Educational Foundation
Blog
Resources
National Guard Heritage Map
Contact Us
Honor a Guardsman
Guard Muster Search
Guard Muster Sign-Up
National Guard Educational Foundation
MENU +
About
Staff
Board of Directors
Museum Core Documents
Museum
Minuteman Minutes: An NGEF Video Series
2025 NGEF Commemorative Ornament
Museum Galleries
For Teachers
Introductory Video
Virtual Tour
Schedule a Tour
Donate an Artifact
Library
Archives
Finding Aids
National Guard Magazine Pathfinder, 1907 – 1914
Military Libraries
War Colleges
Current History (2020-) Digital Resources
Submit a Research Request
Recognition
National Guard Memorial
Medal of Honor Gallery
Alphabetical Roster of National Guard Medal of Honor Recipients
National Guard Medal of Honor Recipients by State
The National Guard and the American Revolution
National Guard Units with Revolutionary War Lineage
The National Guard in the Vietnam Era
Honoring the Fallen (9/11-Present)
National Guard Monument
Brig. Gen. William W. Spruance Legacy Award
Guard Muster
Events
28th Annual NGEF Golf Tournament
The Bedford Boys: One American Town’s Ultimate D-day Sacrifice
Forging the Framework: A Book Talk
Dogwood: A National Guard unit’s war in Iraq
From Bataan to Freedom: A Presentation with Judy Reed
The Liberator: The Odyssey of Felix Sparks
Donate
Online Donation
The Legion De Lafayette
LDL Members – Corporations, Associations and Foundations
LDL Members – States
LDL Members – Individuals
Get Involved
Internship Opportunities
Planned Giving
Dream Giveaway
George and Charlotte Demetriades Guardian Program
USAA Guardian Scholarship
The Van Hipp Heroes Scholarship Fund
Museum Amplifies Guard’s Vietnam Role
Home
>
Press Releases
>
NGAUS Washington Report
> Museum Amplifies Guard’s Vietnam Role
The Vietnam Era Gallery in the National Guard Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., now tells more of the National Guard story from that complicated and uncertain time.
The renovated exhibit explains how the Guard became a haven for people who wanted to dodge the draft and escape service in Vietnam, an element of the Guard’s history that had been missing from the exhibit.
It also expands on the Guard’s law enforcement role in anti-war protests and race riots that marked those tumultuous years.
“The renovated exhibit addresses the Guard’s history in a more straightforward manner,” said Amelia Meyer, the National Guard Educational Foundation archivist. “The Guard was caught up in the same cultural and social turmoil as the rest of the country.”
In an article in the March issue of NATIONAL GUARD, Meyer notes that President Lyndon Johnson’s decision to not send the Guard in large numbers to Vietnam directly impacted the Guard’s inclusion in subsequent operations through the Total Force policy.
Anne Armstrong, the NGEF deputy director, says the renovation, which is now complete, better puts the war and the unrest of the 1960s in context and enhances the experience for a museum visitor.
“Following that thread is so much easier in the new gallery, mainly because of the new, streamlined text, but also because of the photo choices and the layout with better lighting and less physical clutter,” she said.
The renovated exhibit also includes a new artifact, the blouse worn in Vietnam by 1st Lt. Roger C. Schultz, an Iowa Guardsman who volunteered for duty in Vietnam and served there with an active-component unit in 1969.
He later became the Army Guard director as a lieutenant general. Schultz also donated funds for the renovation.
Donate to NGEF
There are many ways you can support NGEF’s efforts! Become a major donor, honor a Guardsman, set up a planned gift, or make a general donation.
Donate Now
Visit the National Guard Museum and Library!
One Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Monday – Friday, except holidays
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(Last Admission at 3:30 p.m.)
Connect with Us
Contact Us
Copyright © 2026
National Guard Educational Foundation