By Barbara Palmgren
Having worked with Jonathan Holmes, Aerospace Museum Curator at the Air Force Armament Museum located on Eglin Air Force Base and easily accessible to the public, I learned of a new project soon to be shared with everyone. The Armament Museum is one of the members of the county group of museums that support and promote all museums in Okaloosa County.
The African American Military Historical Society (AAHMS), is a 501C3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the historical contributions of African Americans in American military history within U.S. borders and overseas from the Revolutionary War to present day.
The mission of the AAMHS is to research, establish and continually develop a well-documented multi-visual educational timeline that can be used to educate on different historical platforms for future generations of the contributions and sacrifices.
The AAHMHS was formed in 2021 by Mr. Jonathan Holmes, Sr., who retired from the USAF in 2013 and then began working at the Armament Museum. Jonathan attended a Tuskegee Airmen event in 2019 and then, after a Juneteenth event in 2021 and the introduction of free-standing military Quonset huts at the Armament Museum, Jonathan asked permission to have one of these buildings dedicated to a project to preserve this legacy of the African American military.
This stand-alone African American Military History Exhibit Hall in the U.S. Air Force’s Heritage Program will be located at the Air Force Armament Museum. Contributions are still needed and appreciated for the displays, which are funded through contributions to the AAMHS. You can visit aamhsociety.org to donate.
The African American Military History Exhibition Hall is set to open in Spring/Summer 2026. This unique exhibition hall will feature interactive displays, artifacts, displays of military artwork, and more. Jonathan told me this in the only exhibit like this in the country! I think this is a project our community can truly be proud of as we share it with everyone who visits the Armament Museum.
I am honored to share this upcoming information with the public in this special year when we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation. During the Revolutionary War, African Americans fought as patriots in the Continental Army to secure our nation as an independent nation, the United States of America.
