Fayetteville, N.C.– On October 19, the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum (ASOM) will open an interactive augmented reality experience titled “D-Day: Freedom from Above”. The exhibit will be at the ASOM through March 14, 2022.
This new French American project to commemorate D-Day was created in partnership with Parisian company Histovery and the Airborne Museum in St.-Mere-Eglise, Normandy. The ASOM installation is the second time the exhibit will be seen in the United States, and the first time in the southeast. More than 300,000 people visited the exhibit's first U.S. installation, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in 2019.
“D-Day: Freedom from Above” will allow visitors to experience the invasion of Normandy through the eyes of the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions paratroopers. “HistoPad”, a tablet with augmented reality technology provides an immersive experience by allowing visitors to manipulate a series of 3D virtual relics, view unpublished photos and extracts of exceptional archival films, interact with animated maps, and learn the incredible destinies of some of our nation’s heroes.
The roughly 1,500 square foot exhibit is designed around Allied unit insignia and historic D-Day artifacts from the ASOM collection. The exhibit will feature twelve physical panels that guide visitors through the experience focusing on the D-Day missions of the storied 82nd “All Americans” and the “Screaming Eagles” of the 101st Airborne divisions in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first French town to be liberated.
“The investment we are making today will provide visitors a preview of the interactive technology planned for the 2025 permanent gallery redesign. With this exhibit, our plan is to engage, educate and inspire visitors of the bravery, courage, and planning it took for U.S. Soldiers and our Allies to liberate villages and towns from Nazi oppression across France and throughout Europe,” said Renee Lane, ASOM Foundation Executive Director
Admission to the ASOM is free, however, there is a $5 rental fee for the HistoPad. Allow about 30 minutes to tour the entire D-Day exhibit.
ABOUT THE ASOM
Established in August 2000, the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM) is a first-class institution that efficiently and effectively captures, preserves, exhibits, and presents the material culture and heritage of the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Forces from 1940 and into the future. The Museum celebrates over 80 years of Army Airborne and Special Operations history and honors our nation’s Soldiers – past, present, and future.
ABOUT THE FACVB
The FACVB is a private, not-for-profit organization responsible for positioning Cumberland County as a destination for conventions, sporting events and individual travel. For additional information, visit www.VisitFayettevilleNC.com or call 1-888-98-HEROES.