Regional Military Museum

Down Barrow Street, toward Bayou Black, stands Houma’s Regional Military Museum, housing an extensive collection of artifacts representing the men and women who have so bravely served our country. This is not just a storehouse of relics, however. Everything in the museum is operational, from vehicles that still run to weapons that still fire. Each item in the collection has been lovingly restored and authenticated by the volunteers that keep the museum going, and the facility is staffed by veterans who can provide first-hand accounts to visitors, describing life for the soldiers who risk life and limb to preserve the freedoms Americans enjoy.

Among the highlights of the exhibit are a World War II German Africa Corps BMW motorcycle with sidecar and a full deep-sea diving suit donated by Oceaneering International. Recent additions include three MIM-23 Hawk Missiles resting on a launch outside the museum. These Vietnam-era surface-to-air missiles are the precursors to the Patriot missiles used in modern warfare. The star of the exhibit is President Eisenhower’s twin-prop Air Force 1, one of two planes the president used during his administration.

Recent expansions were undertaken in order to contain their many donated artifacts, including a full-size model of a WWII Avenger Torpedo Bomber that previously hung in the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. The museum also doubles as a research facility for those investigating their family’s military history.

The simplicity of the exhibits and the relatively easy access to the artifacts allows visitors to closely examine the vehicles and heavy artillery. That close interaction allows a more vivid understanding of and appreciation for the self-sacrificing life of a soldier.