LARGO – The Armed Forces Military Museum is adding more than 20,000 military metal insignia pens from the World War I through Vietnam eras to its collection.
Matt Woodside, director of exhibitions and collections, and Ashley Burk, curator of collections of the South Florida Museum, which is located in Bradenton, present the collection to the Military Museum during a ceremony Jan. 5, 10.
The metal insignia pins were worn on garrison hats by enlisted service members and on the shoulder straps of officer’s uniforms. Burk contacted Nadine Piazza, director of operations for the Military Museum, in late October to inquire if the museum would be interested in permanently housing the pins. After a visit to South Florida Museum and meeting with Burk, “it was determined AFMM would be a perfect museum to house the pins and South Florida Museum would turn over the collection for a permanent exhibit to AFMM,” a news release said.
Attendance to the ceremony is free and light refreshments will be served.
The Armed Forces Military Museum opened in 2008 at 2050 34th Way N. The 50,000-square-foot museum and display areas are filled with a military collection that includes tanks, aircraft, memorabilia and interactive exhibits.
