Museum of American Armor reopening with reinvented military posters

When the Museum of American Armor reopens Friday, it will enlist the help of redesigned military posters to encourage pandemic safety protocols.

The museum has teamed up with military historian Dr. Erik Villard from the U.S. Army Center of Military History to present his innovative reinvention of motivational posters first created by the War Department during World War II, according to a museum statement.

From G.I.s prepared to throw hand sanitizers, as opposed to hand grenades, to a masked Uncle Sam leading a charge against COVID, the posters will be situated throughout the museum, adjacent to its tanks, artillery pieces and uniformed mannequins.

“Some of the posters are kind of the traditional attack, over-the-top variety, but then others, like the ‘Knowledge Wins’ poster are more information-based,” Villard said in the statement. “Certain images will resonate with some people, and others will prefer a different approach.”

Lawrence Kadish, founder and president of the Museum of American Armor, said the museum is following all the CDC protocols to allow it to open on July 31, “but we wanted to make sure that our visitors’ behavior remains the first line of defense against spreading COVID-19. These imaginative re-envisionings of classic military posters by Dr. Villard are designed to get your attention, focus on COVID precautions, and to do so in a setting that reminds you America has gotten through much worse when it pulled together.”

The Museum of American Armor has some 40 operational military vehicles under cover within Nassau County’s Old Bethpage Village Restoration at 1303 Round Swamp Road. Its reopening hours are Friday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. An admission donation of $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and veterans and $8 for children is requested.