Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexander Schriner | Elizabeth Borja and Elena Friot, historians with the National Guard Bureau, fire a 75...... read more read more
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SEWARD, Neb. — As Seward marked America’s 250th birthday, the Nebraska National Guard Museum helped connect the nation’s founding to generations of military service through presidential reenactors, military exhibits, memorial ceremonies, and stories from Nebraska’s past.
The museum participated in this year’s July 3-4 community celebration under the theme “One Nation, Many Stories,” selected by the Seward Fourth of July committee to reflect the spirit of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976.
Gerald Meyer, Nebraska National Guard historian and museum director, said planning for the celebration began nearly a year ago.
“It’s in honor of replicating what we did with the Bicentennial in ’76,” Meyer said.
As part of the celebration, the museum hosted reenactors portraying the four presidents featured on Mount Rushmore: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. The reenactors, who traveled from Nebraska, Ohio, and Kentucky, took part in several events throughout the week, including receptions, Chautauqua-style presentations, and a leadership seminar that was open to the public.
The seminar, hosted by Meyer and Col. Shane Martin, Nebraska National Guard United States Property and Fiscal Officer, allowed visitors to hear the presidents discuss leadership through war, peace and national challenge.
“They’re very versed in their character,” Meyer said. “It does seem real.”
The museum also dedicated its new USA 250 exhibit, which links the founding of the United States to the history of the Nebraska National Guard. The Nebraska National Guard traces its roots to 1854, giving the exhibit a broad timeline that connects early American history with generations of Nebraska service members.
Maj. Cody Cade, Nebraska National Guard command historian, said the exhibit follows the Guard from its beginnings as a militia unit through the Global War on Terrorism.
“It’s a timeline display covering the history of the Nebraska National Guard,” Cade said. “So, starting in 1854 with our inception as a militia unit, all the way through the current Global War on Terrorism.”
The exhibit features realistic mannequins representing service members from different eras, beginning with a Civil War Soldier and continuing through modern Soldiers and Airmen. A Revolutionary War Soldier stands at the center of the display, tying the nation’s founding to the Guard’s continued service.
“For a temporary exhibit for USA 250, it is probably one of the best exhibits we’ve ever put together,” Meyer said.
Meyer credited Cade and the museum staff for planning and constructing the exhibit. He said the museum carefully selected historical figures connected to Nebraska and the Guard’s history, including service members from the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Every one of them has a story,” Meyer said. “They depict our history really well since 1854, but it dovetails into the USA 250.”
Cade said building the exhibit required months of research into individual Soldiers and Airmen from different periods of Nebraska Guard history. As the project developed, he said new details emerged about the people being represented.
“There was a lot of background research into the different individuals,” Cade said. “Everything came together as far as one display, but it was a pretty massive undertaking that really started back in November, December of last year.”
Cade said some of the research revealed new information about familiar names, while other discoveries helped add depth to the stories of service members represented in the exhibit.
“That’s the nice thing about history,” Cade said. “There’s always new stuff to be researched and found out.”
The exhibit also carried personal meaning for families of some of the service members depicted. Cade said relatives of Staff Sgt. Floyd E. Whittaker visited the museum and was honored by the level of detail in the display. He said the family of Sgt. Heather Springer was also moved by the realism of her mannequin and the effort put into preserving her story.
“Her mom and dad and stepdad came out yesterday and were very moved, moved to tears even, by the level of realism of the mannequin,” Cade said on July 2.
For Cade, the exhibit is not only about honoring the distant past, but also about preserving more recent history. He said the museum continues to seek stories, photos, uniforms, and oral histories from veterans, especially those connected to the Global War on Terrorism.
“We need to be more proactive, in my opinion, to go after that history and tell my generation’s story for the last 20 years,” Cade said. “If not, we lose part of our institutional knowledge and that lineage and that history of the Nebraska Guard.”
The museum’s July 4 events also included wreath-laying ceremonies. One wreath was placed at the National Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial Towers exhibit, which was displayed outside the museum. Another was placed at Prairie Trails, a memorial honoring Airmen of the Nebraska Air National Guard.
The ceremony also recognized the Air National Guard’s 80th birthday, which dates back to July 1946.
Meyer said support from the Nebraska National Guard was essential as the museum prepared for the large celebration. Joint Force Headquarters personnel recently assisted with moving items and preparing spaces around the museum.
The museum, located in a former 1956 armory, has been in Seward since 2014 after originally being housed at the State Arsenal in Lincoln. While the building still looks like an armory from the outside, Meyer said the interior has been modernized to properly preserve and display artifacts.
“It’s not your dad’s armory,” Meyer said. “It’s very modern. It’s got all the systems we need to keep our artifacts looking good and being presented.”
For Meyer, this year’s celebration also came during a personal transition. After serving as museum director since February 2014, he plans to retire in August.
“It’s been a great job,” Meyer said. “I’ve loved Seward and loved being part of the community.”
He said the museum has become a point of pride for Seward and expects community support to continue.
As visitors gathered in Seward for the Fourth of July, the museum offered families a place to learn, reflect, and experience the patriotic spirit of the day. Visitors viewed military vehicles, toured the USA 250 exhibits, visited the Memorial Towers, and interacted with presidential reenactors throughout the celebration.
Cade said the museum gives visitors something new to discover, even if they have visited before.
“There are always new things,” Cade said. “People can discover new things in the museum no matter how many times you’ve been there.”
From patriotic traditions in the morning to fireworks in the evening, Meyer said Seward remained a fitting place to mark the nation’s 250th birthday.
“Seward is the Fourth of July City,” Meyer said. “It’s a perfect spot for it.”
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2026 13:10 |
| Story ID: | 569412 |
| Location: | SEWARD, NEBRASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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