DENVER – History Colorado kicks off a summer of exploration of local and national military history at the History Colorado Center with the opening of THE AMERICAN SOLDIER: A PHOTOGRAPHIC TRIBUTE on May 25, 2013.  

On view through Sept. 2, 2013, this national traveling exhibition features 116 enlarged photographs that capture unforgettable images of American soldiers—beginning on the Civil War battlefields in 1861, when the new medium of photography first documented the grim realities of war, to the War in Iraq.

In the first comprehensive photographic record of the men and women who have risked their lives to protect the United States, this exhibition offers dramatic images that convey the danger and frustration, humor and beauty, victory and loss of soldiering.

"Spanning nine wars, I’ve often wondered what the exhibition photographs have in common," said exhibition curator Cyma Rubin. "These photographs have power. They have an ability to reach people, to get through, to communicate—each image has a life of its own." 

Rubin, a theater and film producer, director and writer, also curated Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs. She is the editor of THE AMERICAN SOLDIER book, available in the museum’s gift shop.

THE AMERICAN SOLDIER is sponsored by EADS North America, the North American operations of EADS, the second largest aerospace defense company in the world. Sponsored and presented by Business of Entertainment, Inc., Cyma Rubin producer, curator.

THE AMERICAN SOLDIER exhibition and special programming are made possible locally by the generous support of The Anschutz Foundation. 

In conjunction with the exhibit, History Colorado Center visitors have a rare opportunity to see a display on loan from the Center for American Values that highlights the four Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from the “Home of Heroes,” Pueblo, Colo.

Throughout the summer, visitors can discover Colorado’s unique military history through special programs featuring lectures by military historians; artifacts and photographs from History Colorado’s extensive collections; and activities such as a 10^tth Mountain Division touch cart and writing letters to Colorado soldiers in Afghanistan. Tours to significant military and historical sites around the state are also offered.

Follow History Colorado on Facebook (facebook.com/HistoryColorado) to see historic photographs of Colorado soldiers, and on Twitter (@HistoryColorado) to follow a World War I soldier from Colorado across the Atlantic and onto the battlefield.

All History Colorado museums statewide participate in the Blue Star Museum  program from Memorial Day through Labor Day, where active duty military, National Guard and reserve military personnel and their families receive free general museum admission, which includes admission to THE AMERICAN SOLDIER at the History Colorado Center. Active duty military also receive a 25% discount on private space rentals in the History Colorado Center.

Also from Memorial Day through Labor Day, veterans receive a $2 discount on a general admission ticket to the History Colorado Center, and a 20% discount on groups of 10 or more.

All military (active duty and veteran) receive a 15% discount at the History Colorado Center's gift shop and Café Rendezvous. 

Visit HistoryColoradoCenter.org for complete information about hours, admission and programming.

Programming Highlights:

·         Kids Programs:  Make a thank-you card for a Colorado soldier on active duty in Afghanistan, see live performances and re-enactors, visit a 10th Mountain Division touch cart. 

·         Veteran’s History Walking Tour, May 27:  Lincoln Park – Civic Center.

·         Piñon Canyon Rock Art Trek, May 29:  See spectacular scenery and get exclusive access to the U.S. Army’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site near Trinidad.

·         History In Focus: Colorado’s Military Stories, June 8:  Full day of presentations by local military historians and authors Flint Whitlock and Geoff Hunt on the 10^th Mountain Division, the Spanish American War, Colorado in the Civil War, the history of Lowry Airforce Base, and the 45^th Infantry of the Colorado-Oklahoma National Guard.

·          History Colorado’s Collections, June 28 and Aug. 9:  Items from History Colorado’s collection bring to life the experiences of Coloradans in combat and on the home front. See letters and diaries, historic photographs, see artifacts from 10th Mountain Division, and from the Deane Collection and the War Relics Room.

·         Soldiers on Skis, July 12:  Historian Flint Whitlock shares the history of the only American army division specially trained for mountain and winter warfare in World War II.

·         Jeff Lowdermilk, Aug. 31:  Following the entries in his infantryman grandfather’s diary, author and photographer Jeff Lowdermilk traveled across Europe photographing landscapes, cemeteries and monuments.

Visit HistoryColoradoCenter.org for complete information.

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History Colorado connects people to the stories, places and heritage of Colorado's past that provide perspectives on today and inspire our choices for tomorrow. Through exhibits, collections, educational experiences, and archaeology and historic preservation programs throughout the state, History Colorado, a Smithsonian Affiliate, brings history to life for audiences of all ages.