Fort Drum museum makes military history accessible, relevant to soldiers, community
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (WWTI) – The 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum is on a mission to make military history easy and accessible for everyone.
Museum staff are there to educate everyone from area students, soldiers or families that are new to the area.
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We collect history, we preserve history, and then we present it to both Soldiers and the public. How we go about education is not just placing objects on display but presenting it in a way that gives it context, so people get a broader understanding of its historical relevance.
Kent Bolke, 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum Director
Over the last few months, museum staff has created educational tours for Soldiers enrolled in the Mountain Training Group's Alpine Warrior Course and a technology class for students at the Fort Drum STARBASE Academy.
Another tour, designed for members of the Fort Drum Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, focused on the 1947 barracks fire on post that killed four officers and injured several more. This incident led to a historic legal precedent known as the Feres Doctrine.
Bolke said this history would resonate with soldiers and civilians in the legal profession, but it could easily be formatted for younger students.
'We can tailor a museum tour, and work with a particular set of exhibits based on their educational requirements,' Bolke said.
Bolke led a museum tour for a group of Pre-Technical Academy students from the Jefferson-Lewis BOCES in Watertown in March.
Holly Nichols, Global Studies teacher, said students were tasked with exploring the museum to find examples of the relationship between innovation and warfare. They needed to identify the items, describe the relationship and explain how it impacted the way military members fought.
'We're learning about World War I and World War II in class,' Nichols said. 'And the New York State curriculum really focuses on innovation and how warfare is affected by it. I sent Mr. Bolke the assignment I developed, and he really tailored his presentation to that, which was fabulous.'
Doug Schmidt, museum curator, recently coordinated with 1st Sgt. Marcus Sherbino with 10th Division Sustainment Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade, for a noncommissioned officer professional development (NCOPD) museum tour.
Schmidt created a presentation and tour that guided Soldiers through the NCO history that included Sgt. Torger Tokle, a famous Norwegian ski jumper who immigrated to the U.S. before World War II. His skill sets were instrumental in training the 10th Mountain Division Soldiers to ski and maneuver through winter terrain. Schmidt said Tokle joining the Army would be comparable to an athlete like Tom Brady enlisting at the height of his football career.
He also spoke about Command Sgt. Maj. Southern 'Buddy' Hewitt, the division's first senior enlisted adviser after it was reactivated 40 years ago.
Schmidt created a presentation and tour that guided Soldiers through the NCO history that included Sgt. Torger Tokle, a famous Norwegian ski jumper who immigrated to the U.S. before World War II. His skill sets were instrumental in training the 10th Mountain Division Soldiers to ski and maneuver through winter terrain. Schmidt said Tokle joining the Army would be comparable to an athlete like Tom Brady enlisting at the height of his football career.
He also spoke about Command Sgt. Maj. Southern 'Buddy' Hewitt, the division's first senior enlisted adviser after it was reactivated 40 years ago.
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'At that time, the division was spread all over the country – some here, some were at Griffiss Air Force Base and Fort Benning – while the construction at Fort Drum was just getting started,' Schmidt said. 'This was before cell phones, before the internet and all the technology we use today. So, there was a real challenge for CSM Hewitt to ensure his NCOs were training Soldiers to standard and everything else he was responsible for.'
The 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum is located in Bldg. 2509 on Col. Reade Road, off Route 26. The museum is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, including Memorial Day weekend and entrance is free. For more information, call (315) 774-0391.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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