One of the most treasured artifacts at the 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth Army and Korean Theater of Operations Museum on U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, South Korea, is the Medal of Honor belonging to Sgt. 1st Class William Sitman who was killed during the Battle of Chipyong ni in 1951. Sitman Gym on Camp Humphreys is named after him. ()
The journey began in the 1970s in a Quonset hut on Camp Casey, South Korea, where the 2nd Infantry Division Historical and Cultural Center was first established to preserve and display the history of one the U.S. Army’s most decorated divisions. Later, the museum would move into an old officers’ club on Camp Red Cloud in the city of Uijeongbu where the division headquarters sat.
Today, the now 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth Army and Korean Theater of Operations Museum has reached its probable final destination where it occupies a former commissary building on U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek after moving here in Fall 2018.
In February, the museum began extensive renovations where it will better display its 2,000 artifacts to the local community.
“It will not be the biggest museum in the Army, but it will be one of the best,” said retired Col. William Alexander, 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth Army and KTO Museum director. “There’s a lot of stories to tell.”
Alexander said thanks to Eighth Army support and additional funding from the Republic of Korea, the work being done should be completed this August with the museum opening back up in September.
The interior of the museum will feature newly designed and painted display walls, galleries and display cases including a section dedicated to Eighth Army. Another gallery will be dedicated to Korean Augmentation to The U.S. Army Soldiers, or KATUSAs, because of their storied history of working side by side with U.S. Army Soldiers, said Alexander.
The museum will continue to exhibit a wide number of displays that depict 2ID history from its activation in France in 1917 through current operations here on the Korean peninsula. There are authentic artifacts and dioramas depicting the division in WWI, WWII, Korean War, Cold War, Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and current operations.
Alexander said the museum’s most treasured artifact is the Medal of Honor belonging to Sgt. 1st Class William Sitman who was killed during the Battle of Chipyong-ni in 1951. Sitman Gym on Camp Humphreys is named after him. Additional prized items include the helmet worn by Gen. James Van Fleet, who assumed command of Eighth Army during the Korean War, and a 2ID Indianhead patch carried by astronaut Michael Collins on the Apollo 11 mission.
After the museum reopens, Alexander reiterated that its educational programs will be open to Soldiers, civilians, students, local nationals and guests. Programs include guided tours, staff rides to historical locations around Korea, and heritage observances.
“When a young Soldier comes in and holds the Sitman Medal of Honor in his hands and learns about how he sacrificed himself to save his fellow Soldiers, you see the look on his face and it’s a game changer,” said Alexander.
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