UND Military History Display opens in Memorial Union Gallery

Display honors 142 years of military history at UND and very long line of UND community members who’ve served

Helmets, uniforms, flags and historic photos are among the featured items at the UND Military History Display, an museum-like showing now on display in the Memorial Union Gallery through Friday, Sept. 26.

Military history at UND dates back to the founding of the University, said Angie Carpenter, UND’s director of Veteran & Military Affairs. In the original “Act for Establishing a Territorial University at Grand Forks, North Dakota,” passed by the Territorial Legislature in 1883, military instruction was required of all male students. Col. Homer B. Sprague, a former Union Army officer, served as the second president of UND, and the University’s current Army ROTC Battalion traces its origins to his tenure.

Since then, UND students, graduates, faculty and staff by the thousands have served their country, rendering distinguished service during wartime and peacetime alike.

The display is meant to honor that proud legacy, Carpenter said.

Many of the items on display are normally housed in UND Armory, home to the University’s Army and Air Force ROTC units. Others come from UND’s Veteran & Military Affairs Office, the Hilyard Center, the Chester Fritz Library, civic groups in Grand Forks and individual veterans and servicemembers themselves.

“I’ve really enjoyed learning about these artifacts, and knowing that every item on display here has such a rich history,” Carpenter said. “You can easily get lost in looking and reminiscing and just learning about this history. We’ve been wanting to do something like this for a very long time, and we’re so happy to finally make it available to the UND community.”

The gallery display is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.