TIFTON — The Tifton Veteran’s Museum opened its doors Saturday on July 6, to showcase the progress that’s been made by a group of American Legion members.

The museum features uniforms, firearms, pictures and flags. There are exhibits set up from World War I (WWI) all the way to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Museum volunteer Hoyt Larry Crowe has contributed his time and energy in setting the museum up. Crowe is a veteran of the Georgia Air National Guard.

“People don’t realize how much work goes into setting something like this up,” said Crowe. “It takes a lot of time.”

The museum has an entire room dedicated to hanging up pictures of local veterans from the Tift County area. There is also a wall for veterans to sign when they visit the museum.  

There is a map of Vietnam for veterans who served in the war to mark the locations they served at.

According to museum volunteer Danny Bailey, the biggest area their museum is lacking currently is artifacts and pictures from the Korean War. Bailey encourages people to donate what they have from any war, but he is hoping to see more come from the Korean War era.  

Hoa Suen visited the museum to talk about her story and to admire the exhibits. Suen was born and raised in Vietnam while the Vietnam War was raging. She eventually escaped and moved to the United States.

“We need something like this so people won’t forget the soldiers,” said Suen. “Now family and friends can come here and visit to see their loved one’s pictures on the wall and remember their service.”

According to Bailey, the museum will have limited hours until their grand reopening sometime in August. For now people can visit the museum Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. The museum is located next to the Tifton Terminal Railway Museum.

Tifton Veteran’s Museum is hoping for more donations and artifacts from the military to be preserved and appreciated.

For more information on how to support the museum, contact Danny Bailey at 229-402-1109 or visit the Tifton Veteran’s Museum Facebook page.