NEWS

Experience Cowboys in Khaki Exhibit at the General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum 

For Immediate Release:  Feb. 14, 2020

(HOBART, Okla.) - The General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum is proud to host “Cowboys in Khaki: Westerners in the Great War,” a special exhibit highlighting the stories of Westerners who served in World War I. The exhibit will be showcased at the Museum now through June 30.

“The exhibit provides a small glimpse of what it was like for many Westerners whose lives were completely changed by serving in World War I,” said Scott Cumm, General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum manger. “We must not forget the lives they lived before the Great War began.”

The Westerners, before World War I, were among a diverse group of farmers, doctors, lawyers and more. The exhibit shares the stories of those who played critical roles and their decisive contributions in helping the Allies win the war, including two cowboys who were western film stars in the 1920s and served as soldiers in World War I. It also reveals the true diversity of the Westerners who fought for an Allied victory.

Included in the exhibit are multiple artifacts and graphics to tell these stories. A 1904 McClellan riding saddle designed by George B. McClellan, a career Army officer in the U.S. Army, will be on display. McClellan designed the saddle to be used during the Civil War. The saddle ultimately stayed in the Army inventory until World War II. Also in the exhibit is the first standard helmet of the French Army, a French Adrian helmet. These helmets were designed when millions of French troops were engaged in trench warfare during World War I. A 1911 campaign hat issued by the U.S. Army from 1911 to 1942 along with a doughboy uniform and a 3.8 in. shrapnel shell from World War I will also be on display.

The General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please visit TommyFranksMuseum.org.

​The General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum was created as a historical foundation dedicated to telling the story of the United States military and education. Its mission is to advance the development of this world class leadership training institution and museum. For more information, visit TommyFranksMuseum.org.