South Dakota National Guard Museum
Pierre, South Dakota
This free museum occupies an old National Guard storage building from 1941. A full-size tank and A7D Corsair jet are parked out front, which may say something about the easy availability of real estate in downtown Pierre.
The museum started as a collection of a field artillery historical society. Displayed munitions, weapons, vehicles, uniforms, and regalia are typical of general military museums, but there are oddball items to be discovered. Many artifacts were donated by army and air national guard veterans or their families, and some specifically relate to duties performed and wars fought by the South Dakota National Guard.
In no particular order, we noticed: an AIM-4F guided missile; a marching band tuba; a Kuwait Liberation Medal; a World War II gun manufactured by the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company; a "sweetheart pillow" customized for someone's mom; Operation Desert Storm bumper stickers; a display case of C Rations and MREs; model of a bridge built by combat engineers; an instructional bandage from the Spanish-American War; a 20mm Nazi anti-tank cannon; a wood cookstove described as "historic, patriotic, and magnificent;" Coke and Pepsi cans from the Desert Storm-Era Middle East; a WWII Harley-Davidson motorcycle; swords; bayonets; and a South Dakota mascot coyote stuffed in mid-howl, standing inside a glass-fronted box.
A sign warns visitors not to wear flip-flops in the ejection seat trainer, and the gift shop sells items such as the 196th Regimental Combat Team Yearbook and the revised edition of "Roundup Years: Old Muddy to Black Hills."