Museum Committee seeks information on African American veterans | Arts & Culture

The following is a press release from the African American Military History Museum:

The African American Military History Committee seeks living African American Desert Storm-era veterans in the Pine Belt area to honor during the 4th Annual Black History Month Program set for January 31.

To commemorate Black History Month, the African American Military History Committee is hosting a program at the C.E. Roy Community Center on Jan. 31 from 1-3 p.m. A reception will follow at the African American Military History Museum.

“Black History Month is a very important time for our communities to stop, remember, and honor African American Military heroes,” said Latoya Norman, General Manager of the African American Military History Museum. “This year, we are focusing our attention on Desert Storm-era veterans and would like to gather as much information as possible on local veterans of that time. Any information – including names, contact information, or photos, may be submitted to the committee through January 11. Any living Desert Storm-era African American veteran whose information is received will be recognized at the program.”

Veteran information should be submitted to Lt. Col. Frederick Varnado or Latoya Norman at the African American Military History Museum located at 305 E. 6th St. in Downtown Hattiesburg. For more information about this event, or to contact Museum staff, call 601-450-1942.

The USO Club opened on March 22, 1942 and was constructed by community volunteers who invested more than 40,000 hours in the project. It is currently the only surviving USO built exclusively for African American soldiers and in 2003 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. More than 150 years of African American military history is on display in the Museum. 

The African American Military History Museum is a Hattiesburg Convention Commission Facility. Since 1991, the Hattiesburg Convention Commission has been developing, operating and promoting tourism-related facilities for the Hattiesburg area. For more information, visit www.HattiesburgUSO.com.