TMFM Event – Close Assault: 1968, 27 & 28 May 2023

(See my other Texas Military Forces Museum related posts – The Living History detachment of the Texas Military Forces Museum will present Vietnam War reenactments 27 & 28 May for Memorial Day. Showtimes on Saturday will be 11 AM & 2 PM. On Sunday it will be at 1:30 PM. The reenactments will proceed rain or shine.

• Watch an attack on a bunker complex.
• See an M113 armored personnel carrier in action.
• Learn about uniforms and equipment.
• Discover the realities of the Vietnam War.
• Blank weapons firing demonstrations of some of the most famous small arms of Vietnam.

Stroll by the 50 vehicles and aircraft outside the Museum, then come inside and explore 200 years of Texas Military history in the 26,000-square-feet of exhibits

If you can’t visit this weekend, the museum is always free and is open 10AM to 4PM Tuesday thru Sunday. If you are unable to visit the Museum in person, there are now four Virtual Tours. Go to this website and you can view tours of:

• The Great Hall
• The 19th Century Gallery
• 36th Gallery-WWI and WWII
• Cold War to Global War on Terror.

The Texas Military Forces Museum is located in Building 6 on Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. The street address of Camp Mabry is 2200 West 35th Street. While the Museum is open to the public, all adults must show a photo I.D. for entry to Camp Mabry.

TMFM Event: Living History Weekend 15–16 April 2023

(See my other Texas Military Forces Museum related posts – The Texas Military Forces Museum will host a Living History Weekend 15–16 April from 0900 to 1600 each day.

• At 1130 will be a 19th Century weapons demonstration
• At 1300 will be a World War II battle reenactment

In addition there will be:

• Living History Camps from the Civil War through Vietnam
• Military Vehicles
• Military Vehicle rides
• Souvenirs

Stroll by the 50 vehicles and aircraft outside the Museum, then come inside and explore 200 years of Texas Military history in the 26,000-square-feet of exhibits

If you can’t visit this weekend, the museum is always free and is open 10AM to 4PM Tuesday thru Sunday. If you are unable to visit the Museum in person, there are now four Virtual Tours. Go to this website and you can view tours of:

• The Great Hall
• The 19th Century Gallery
• 36th Gallery-WWI and WWII
• Cold War to Global War on Terror.

The Texas Military Forces Museum is located in Building 6 on Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. The street address of Camp Mabry is 2200 West 35th Street.  While the Museum is open to the public, all adults must show a photo I.D. for entry to Camp Mabry.

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If you have an interest in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest.

• The “World War II Resources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 600 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II era in history.
• The “World War II Timeline” page expands frequently and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
• The “About WWII” page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII. Included are links to many fiction and non-fiction books on WWII that I have read and reviewed. There are also links to WWII oriented podcasts.

TMFM Event: WWII Reenactment November 12–13, 2022

(See my other Texas Military Forces Museum related posts – The living history group at the Texas Military Forces Museum conducts a reenactment each year near Veterans Day. This year ‘G Company” will be presenting “Close Assault: 1944” the weekend of November 12–13, 2022.

G Company is part of the official living history detachment of the Texas National Guard. It operates under the auspices of the Texas Military Forces Museum. The members are all military history enthusiasts and volunteers with the Museum.

The 36th Infantry Division which is what the Texas National Guard was federalized as in WWII saw action in Europe. The Museum contains many artifacts from the WWII period. The reenactment brings to life some of the history from the war.

Watch the reenactment featuring an M4A3 Sherman Tank and M3 Halftrack. Learn about the uniforms and equipment of both the US and German infantry. Stroll by the 50 vehicles and aircraft outside the Museum, then come inside and explore 200 years of Texas Military history in the 45,000 sq. ft. Building.

If you can’t visit this weekend, the museum is always free and is open 10AM to 4PM Tuesday thru Sunday. If you are unable to visit the Museum in person, there are now four Virtual Tours. Go to this website and you can view tours of:

• The Great Hall
• The 19th Century Gallery
• 36th Gallery-WWI and WWII
• Cold War to Global War on Terror.

The Texas Military Forces Museum is located in Building 6 on Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. The street address of Camp Mabry is 2200 West 35th Street.  While the Museum is open to the public, all adults must show a photo I.D. for entry to Camp Mabry.

Further Information

1. From Texas to Rome: Fighting World War II and the Italian Campaign with the 36th Infantry Division

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If you have an interest in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages on my site of interest.

The World War II Resources page is a constantly growing collection of more than 590 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II era in history.

The World War II Timeline page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.

The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII.

Texas Military Forces Museum, Austin, TX – Hands on History

(See my other Texas Military forces Museum related posts) – The Texas Military Forces Museum will host their annual Hands-On History Night on Saturday, 2 July 2022.

Photo from Hands-On History 2021

This is a unique opportunity to speak with members of the Living History Detachment. They will be in uniform and have kit on display from 200 years of Texas military history. Several vehicles on display inside the museum will be open.

Walk through 200 years of Texas military history in the 28,000 sq.ft. of interior Museum displays. View 50 vehicles and aircraft on display outside the museum. 

Enter Camp Mabry via the 35th street entrance. A photo ID is required for all visitors. For further information as to the location and entrance requirements see the website. 

Relive a Civil War battle at the Texas Military Forces Museum

On the weekend of March 12-13, B Company operating under the auspices of the Texas Military Forces Museum will present Battlefield 1863. B Company is part of the official living history detachment of the Texas National Guard. Officially the group represents B Company, Red River Battalion of the 4th Texas Infantry in Hood’s Texas Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia.

Presentations will be made at 1PM on both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free and there will be ample free parking. Enter Camp Mabry through the main gate off of 35th street. Full directions are on the website. A photo ID for all adults is required for admission to the post.

The Texas Military Forces Museum will be open from 10AM until 4PM on both days. Come inside the museum and browse through 26,000 square feet of exhibits. The museum documents the military heritage of Texas from the 1830s through today’s operations in the Middle East. Outside the museum are nearly 50 more military aircraft and vehicles on display.

Texas Military Forces Museum Event – Over There: 1918

(See my other Texas Military Forces Museum related posts) – The living history group at the Texas Military Forces Museum conducts reenactments several times each year. On both 20n & 21 November they will present a World War I battle reenactment.

The living history detachment operates under the auspices of the Texas Military Forces Museum. The members are all military history enthusiasts and volunteers with the Museum.

The 36th Infantry Division, which is what the Texas National Guard was federalized as in WWI, saw action in France. The Museum contains many artifacts from the WWI period. The reenactment brings to life some of the history of the war.

Texas Military Forces Museum Event – WWII Reenactment

(See my other Texas Military Forces Museum related posts) – The living history group at the Texas Military Forces Museum conducts a reenactment each year near Veterans Day. This year ‘G Company” will be presenting “Close Assault: 1944” the weekend of November 6–7, 2021.

G Company is part of the official living history detachment of the Texas National Guard. It operates under the auspices of the Texas Military Forces Museum. The members are all military history enthusiasts and volunteers with the Museum.

The 36th Infantry Division which is what the Texas National Guard was federalized as in WWII saw action in Europe. The Museum contains many artifacts from the WWII period. The reenactment brings to life some of the history from the war.

Further Information

1. Book – From Texas to Rome: Fighting World War II and the Italian Campaign with the 36th Infantry Division

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If you have an interest in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest. 

• The “World War II Resources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 560 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II era in history.
• The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
• The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII.

What it was like to be a Vietnam grunt

The Texas Military Forces Museum Foundation hosts a talk this coming Saturday evening. Foundation Board member John Eli will speak on his experiences in US Army Delta Company of the 27th Infantry Regiment. This is a great opportunity to learn a little about our military history and to support the Museum.

The talk will be held at the Museum from 5:30 – 8:00pm on Saturday 18 September. It is free for Foundation members and only $5 for non-members. To join the Foundation go to https://www.tmfhf.org. Directions for visiting the museum can be found here.

A valid, unexpired form of identification with a picture must be presented to enter the post.

USA, Texas, Austin – Illuminate Coffee Bar

(See my other Food related posts) – Not too many weeks ago (late May) Central Texas was subject to severe storm that left many without power. That included us. Desperate for coffee on the morning of Saturday May 29 we set out looking for a location that had power.

We found the Illuminate Coffee Bar at 12129 RR 620, suite 102 in Austin. It had just what we were looking for – good coffee and a quiet place to sit, read, and wait for the power to be restored to our home. It had several tables available in their serving area. We found one with available AC power to charge our devices while we savored the coffee. In addition to coffee, they had breakfast items and sandwiches. You can check out their full menu.

Whether you are suffering from a power outage or just in search for a good cup of coffee I can recommend Illuminati!

Texas Military Forces Museum – Hands On History 2021

{see my other TMFM related posts) – As restrictions are being relaxed following COVID-19 the Texas Military Forces Museum is once again able to host events. The first was the living history presentation of the Vietnam War on Memorial Day. The next event will be the annual Hands On History night.

While the museum is located on Camp Mabry, it is open to the public. A valid, unexpired form of identification with a picture must be presented to enter the post. Admission to the Museum is free. Those wanting early access at this event will pay $5. That would put you early in line to access the vehicles and talk to the living history crew. Here are detailed directions on how to get to the museum. 

Hands On History 2019

As the name implies many of the exhibits that normally can only be viewed will be available to touch. There will also be a contingent of the living history group on hand to show off their kit and answer questions. I had the opportunity to attend the last Hands On History night in 2019. I really enjoyed the evening. 

Hands On History 2019

If you are interested in history this is a unique opportunity to get closer to it.