Learn About Legendary Feats through History

November 11 is Veterans Day. You can honor those who have served our country with a visit to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in downtown Fayetteville, where visitors learn the story about the U.S. Army airborne and special operations units from 1940 to the present.

Iron Mike

Near the museum’s “Iron Mike” statue, four-legged heroes are also honored with the memorial to Special Operations Forces (SOF) K9 soldiers killed in action. A life-sized, bronze statue of a Belgian Malinois dressed in full combat gear is surrounded by stones listing dogs killed in action. These SOF dogs are selected, trained and equipped to serve in roles not expected of the traditional Military Working Dog.

Memorial for Special Operations Forces dogs

This museum is just one of the many stops along the Patriots, Past & Present Trail that winds through Fayetteville and Cumberland County. The trail features spots from the Revolutionary War up to today’s modern military. Other stops include the North Carolina Veterans Park (across from the museum), the Revolutionary Liberty Point, Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, JFK Special Warfare Museum, and Cross Creek Cemetery, which contains graves of soldiers from the Revolutionary War through the Spanish-American War.