The Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles (HMMV) in

Lexington, Nebraska Lexington is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 10,348 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dawson County. Lexington is located in southern Nebraska, on the Platte River, southeast of North Platte. It si ...

, is a non-profit organization run by volunteers and funded by donations and grants. The museum's goal is to restore, preserve and display historic military equipment of all types, as a way to honor those who served. It is located near exit 237 of

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

. There is no entry fee; donations are optional. It is open from 10 am - 5 pm Monday-Saturday, and 1 pm - 5 pm on Sundays.

History

In 1986, armed only with a determination to preserve historic military vehicles, four Lexington men formed the Heartland Museum. Today the dozens of fully restored vehicles are dedicated in honor and memory of those who served. In 1991, a permanent site for the museum was obtained at exit 237 of Interstate 80. In 1998, a Visitor Center was constructed which houses many of the vehicles.

Collection

The museum has about 100 vehicles including helicopters, tanks, half-tracks, ambulances, and a

jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

from every branch of the service. There are also displays of weapons, uniforms, engines, equipment, and more. The everyday necessities of a soldier's life, such as

MRE A Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging purchased by the United States Department of Defense for its service members for use in combat or field conditions where other food is not avail ...

s, blend with unique vehicles, like those used by the German army in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.Heartland Museum
/ref> Staff are very helpful and will tell you just about everything to know about each vehicle at the site. One of the attractions is the prototype

HMMWV The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...

, serial number 1. Children can explore the interior of a Mike model Huey helicopter, and two tanks.

References

External links

Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles
- Official website {{authority control Military vehicle preservation Museums in Dawson County, Nebraska Military and war museums in Nebraska Automobile museums in Nebraska Tank museums Museums established in 1986 1986 establishments in Nebraska