I am greeted by Retired Captain Richard Moran, who introduces me to many facets of WWII and the importance of Alexandria in the war effort.
The Louisiana Maneuvers & Military Museum is located in Pineville near Alexandria at Camp Beauregard.
The museum is built as a replica WWII barracks. It houses memorabilia and artifacts from the WWII era, as well as WWI and earlier time periods: life-size military vehicles and authentic military uniforms. Items include historical pieces from both the home front and military operations.
“Louisiana was very involved,” Moran said. Maneuver training took place at Camp Beauregard, a training center for the Louisiana Army and Air National Guard.
The majority of the artifacts, memorabilia, and exhibits tell the story of the Louisiana Maneuvers—large-scale training operations carried out across Central Louisiana in the build-up for World War II.
These maneuvers prepared the United States Army for fighting the war.
I am by far no World War II scholar, but I certainly learned a lot about the importance of Louisiana in the war effort. And, once again, the heroes of the war.
For more information, click here. For more information about all the area attractions click here for Explore Alexandria/Pineville
