An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Nov. 10, 2020

Six N.Y. National Guard Soldiers are part of new Army Museum

By Eric Durr New York National Guard

LATHAM, N.Y. – When the National Museum of the United States Army opens its doors to the public on Veterans Day, six New York Army National Guard Soldiers will take special pride in the role they played in the museum.

The six men were the models for six of 63 life-size Soldier figures that will bring exhibits in the museum to life.

The figures of the six New York Army National Guard Soldiers – Maj. Robert Freed, from Central Valley; Maj. James Kim, a chaplain from Malta; Maj. Kevin Vilardo, from Saratoga Springs; 1st Lt. Sam Gerdt, from Watertown; Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Morrison, from Forest Hills, and Sgt. 1st Class Nick Archibald, from Tonawanda – populate two exhibits from two eras.

Construction of the $200 million museum began in the fall of 2016. At 2 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 11, the museum will hold a virtual ceremony to celebrate its opening. It will be livestreamed at https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/25129

The National Museum of the United States Army, open to the public at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, will be the first and only museum to tell the 245-year history of the U.S. Army since its establishment in 1775.

The six New York Soldiers served as models for the figures in 2018. While Studio EIS, a Brooklyn company that specializes in making museum exhibit figures, would normally hire actors to serve as models, the museum wanted to use real American Soldiers for their project.

"Having real Soldiers gives the figures a level of authenticity to the scene," Paul Morando, the chief of exhibits for the museum, explained at the time.

"They know where their hands should be on the weapons. They know how far apart their feet should be when they are standing. They know how to carry their equipment," he said.

Figures based on Vilardo, Gerdt, and Archibald are in an exhibit that depicts Soldiers clambering down the side of a ship to land in Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The figure modeled by Archibald is climbing down a cargo net slung over the side of a ship into a 36-foot-long landing craft known as a "Higgins boat."

The boats took their name from Andrew Higgins, a Louisiana boat-builder who designed the plywood-sided boats, which delivered Soldiers directly to the beach.

Vilardo was the model for a combat photographer. His figure is in the back of the boat taking pictures of the action.

Gerdt modeled a Soldier standing in the boat gazing toward the beach, thinking about what is to come.

The landing craft is so big that it, and three other macro artifacts, were positioned in the museum in 2017. The building was then constructed around those artifacts.

Kim, Morrison and Freed modeled figures in an Afghanistan combat tableau. They portray Soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment on patrol in 2014. Each Soldier depicts a different responsibility on a typical combat mission.

The figure based on Morrison is holding an M4 and scanning for the enemy.

Freed modeled a platoon leader talking on the radio.

Kim was the model for a Soldier operating a remote control for a MARCbot, which is used to inspect objects that might be improvised explosive devices.

The process of turning a Soldier into a life-size figure started by posing the Soldier in the position called for in the tableau and taking lots of photos.

This allows the artists to observe and record how the person looks. Next, a model of the individual's face is made. A special silicone-based material is used for the cast. The model's nostrils are kept clear so the subject can breathe.

The Soldiers were told what their character was supposed to be doing and thinking and asked to make the appropriate facial gestures.

The Soldiers were recruited for their look and, in some cases, their ethnic background.

The museum needed Soldiers who were leaner than the 21st-century norm to portray World War II GIs. Museum officials also wanted Asian American and African American Soldiers for the Afghanistan exhibit, which is why Kim and Morrison were approached.

Next, the artists sculpted the sections molded from the Soldier into a complete figure and painted precise details on the face and skin, crafting it to humanistic and historical perfection.

Being a part of the National Museum of the United States Army is an honor, the six Soldiers said.

While their names won't be acknowledged on the exhibits, it will be great to know they are part of telling the Army story, they all agreed.

Freed said he was looking forward to visiting the museum. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he doesn't anticipate going until the spring or summer.

Admission to the museum is free, but visitors will have to acquire tickets online and attend at specified times to prevent crowding, according to museum officials.

Vilardo, who has a 9-year-old daughter, said she was pretty excited when he showed her photographs of him being turned into an exhibit figure.

"I told her it would be just like "Night at the Museum," he said, referring to the Ben Stiller movie about museum exhibits coming to life, "and that we could go visit anytime."

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Army Corporal Larry Matinsk puts cigarettes into the extended hands of newly liberated prisoners behind a stockade in the Allach concentration camp, near Dachau Germany on April 30, 1945. Also pictured are U.S. Army Soldiers Arthur Toratti and George Babel (second and third from the left). Allach was a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp. American Soldiers of the U.S. 7th Army, including members of the 42nd Infantry and 45th Infantry and 20th Armored Divisions participated in the subcamp’s liberation. The main concentration camp at Dachau had more than 120 subcamps in the area.
N.Y. National Guard Commander to Attend Dachau Liberation 80th Anniversary
By Richard Goldenberg, | April 28, 2025
TROY, N.Y. – The commander of the New York Army National Guard’s Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division will attend the April 29 event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.The 42nd...

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jack A. James Jr., right, the commander of the New York National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division, speaks with Swedish Army soldiers during the division’s Warfighter 25-3 exercise at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., Jan. 31, 2025. The Swedish soldiers’ participation with the New York Army National Guardsmen during Warfighter Exercise 25-3 marks their second visit with the 42nd Infantry Division and their first experience working with the United States in a division-level warfighter exercise.
Swedish Soldiers Train with 42nd Infantry Division Partners
By Sgt. Grace Nechanicky, | Feb. 7, 2025
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Four Swedish army service members spent time with the 42nd Infantry Division learning about large-scale combat operations during a warfighting exercise from Jan. 24 to Feb. 8.The Swedish soldiers’...

Sgt. 1st Class John Iseman, left, and Sgt. Jesus Calixto, explosive rrdnance disposal technicians with the 1108th Ordnance Company, discuss their strategy during the 2024 All-Army EOD Team of the Year competition in Fort Liberty, N.C., April 21-26. Iseman and Calixto represented the Army National Guard.
New York Soldiers Represent Guard at All-Army EOD Competition
By Petty Officer 1st Class Stephanie Butler, | May 7, 2024
FORT LIBERTY, N.C. - Two New York Soldiers represented the Army National Guard at the All-Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team of the Year Competition April 21-26.Sgt. 1st Class John Iseman and Sgt. Jesus Calixto, members of...