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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 10, 2009 No. 09-072 KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD MUSEUM BREAKS GROUND FOR 35TH INFANTRY DIVISION ADDITIONEntrenching tools will pierce the ground outside the Museum of the Kansas National Guard during a 2 p.m. groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, July 11, at 6700 S.W. Topeka Blvd., Topeka. The public is invited to attend. The ceremony will mark the beginning of construction for the 35th Infantry Division addition to the Museum. Officiating members of the ceremony, including Kansas Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting and members of Kansas Building Systems Constructors Inc. of Topeka, will don military helmets rather than hardhats and use military entrenching tools in place of shovels to kick off the Museum’s addition. In addition, the Museum’s president, retired Brig. Gen. Ed Gerhardt; 35th Infantry Division Association president, retired Maj. Gen. Jack Strukel; and representatives of both the National Guard Association of Kansas and the Enlisted Association of Kansas will be in attendance. “We have been working toward the beginning of construction for the last five years and are very appreciative of the support we have received,” said Gerhardt. “The 35th Infantry Division Museum, the Museum Education Center and the Research Library will help us tell of the heritage and sacrifices of Kansas Guard members over the years and now, especially, those sacrifices made in the Global War on Terrorism.” “This addition will give us the space needed to properly highlight the legacy and accomplishments of 35th Division Soldiers and the sacrifices they have made in the cause of freedom,” said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the adjutant general. The addition will create space for the 35th Infantry Division permanent venue along with reorganizing and expanding space to increase the size of the Museum’s education center and research library, while increasing the overall museum display space. Funding for the addition comes partially from the sale of Kansas Veteran's Lottery scratch-off tickets, as the result of a bill passed by the Kansas Legislature in 2008 extending the sale of these tickets to 12 months in order to provide construction funding for two years. Other funding comes from donations to the 35th Division Association Museum Fund and the Museum of the Kansas National Guard Capital Improvement Fund. The Museum, which is an approved U. S. Army museum, is operated primarily with donations and volunteer labor. The Museum opened its doors in 1997 and will remain open during construction. It includes over 80 inside displays on the history of the Kansas National Guard and 25 outside displays of Army and Air Guard equipment. The Museum is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the Kansas National Guard and honoring the memories of the soldiers and airmen who, for over 150 years, have served Kansas and the United States whenever the call was made. Hours of operation are Tues-Sat, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no admission charge. KBS Constructors Inc. is a construction company based in Topeka, Kan., specializing in Critical Environment Construction to allow work to continue undisrupted during the project. -30- Follow the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KSAdjutantGen |
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