The Olympian: Army has update on the fight to save its only museum on the West Coast
By Simone Carter
Last summer, U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland demanded answers from the Army secretary in a letter opposing the proposed closure of the only Army museum on the West Coast.
On Friday the Washington Democrat heard back.
In a response addressed to Strickland and shared with McClatchy by her office, the Army denied plans to shut down the Lewis Army Museum at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) as part of a purported push to shutter and consolidate dozens of similar museums nationwide.
Such downsizing efforts were pegged to save about $114 million over a decade, according to Stars and Stripes.
The Army previously cited closure criteria including building maintenance issues and waning visitor attendance. Proponents of the Lewis Army Museum, though, argued that neither was the case in this state.
Washington’s facility displays and interprets Army artifacts, educating visitors about the role that the U.S. military branch plays in the region. Strickland had asked U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll in June about the timeline for the supposed controversial shuttering.
“The Army does not currently plan to close the Lewis Army Museum,” the answer from the Army, sent March 13 on behalf of Driscoll, reads.
McClatchy has sought comment from JBLM and the U.S. Army.
Strickland said in an emailed statement that any plan to close Washington’s Army museum will “harm the South Sound community and the connection to the Army’s history in the region.”
“While the Army says there is no plan to close the museum at this time,” she continued, “I am committed to ensuring that the Lewis Army Museum keeps its doors open to help our growing community learn about the Army’s history, and empower new generations of leaders to serve our nation.”
The Army’s letter notes that the current fiscal year’s National Defense Authorization Act outlined a deliberate process for Army museum system closures. That includes a detailed evaluation and requires the submission of a clear plan, plus a waiting period of 90 days afterward.
The Center of Military History (CMH) is reviewing its museum operations and will devise recommendations for the locations, scope and size of the proposed museum system, per the letter. While that evaluation goes on — and as “JBLM senior leaders explore options for a public-private partnership” — CMH plans to continue operations at the Lewis Army Museum.
“At a time when the United States needs a new generation of leadership to confront rising threats to our country and challenges worldwide, we should be expanding opportunities to pay tribute to the Army’s legacy,” she wrote in her June 30 letter to Driscoll.
Strickland wasn’t alone in fighting back against the closure.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington made her displeasure known in her own July letter to the Army leader. State Rep. Mari Leavitt, a University Place Democrat, also spoke to McClatchy last summer about her concerns.
The Army’s March 13 letter noted that the Lewis museum counts more than 5,500 artifacts both in storage and on display that will receive a “full curatorial assessment.” Since 2020 the Army has worked to get rid of duplicative materials while those deemed crucial to “telling the Army story are prioritized for preservation.”
The letter stated that no museum closures are currently planned.
“However, CMH projected that museum closures, including transportation of more than 119K artifacts from affected museums, storage, travel, materials, and building closures will cost approximately $24M over four fiscal years,” the letter reads, adding that the Lewis museum’s part of that proposed move is projected at about $680,000.
The letter says that “enduring museums” will be fully staffed and offer engaging, meaningful exhibits.
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