JFK Special Warfare Museum

06/13/2026

We will be closed on June 19th. Please come visit us after the holiday. BTW - we will be open July 3rd and 4th.

05/25/2026

We're OPEN today!

05/16/2026

Today at the JFK Special Warfare Museum we celebrate International Sun Bear Day!

This day was established 11 years ago by the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre to honor the release of their first rehabilitated sun bear. The smallest member of the bear species, sun bears are found in the forests of Southeast Asia and are known for their long tongues (measuring up to 10 inches!), large forepaws with curved claws, and their yellow chest crest that gives them their name.

Standing “tall” and guarding the museum is Barney, our very own sun bear. It was estimated that when the men of Company A, 5th Special Forces Group first discovered Barney on a mission to Bu Dop, he was only four to five weeks old. He was brought back to the Bien Hoa base camp where Team members took turns bottle-feeding him. By 9 months old, he weighed an estimated 90 pounds. Barney served as an early warning system for the team and would often sneak up behind individuals and grab them. Depending on their reaction, one would be able to tell if the person was a friend or foe. The tie between Barney and the men of Company A ensured that transportation arrangements would be made to guarantee he could also leave Vietnam. Sgt. Major Ben Taylor was quoted in The Green Beret magazine explaining, “One way or another, Barney is going back to the States…It will cost $2.50 per pound, including Barney, his cage, and his food, to ship him back. If he has no home by the time we leave, we’ll take him back with us.”

Barney did make it to the United States and was able to call Fort Bragg home. He lived in the Gabriel Demonstration Area for two years before he passed away. He was taxidermied and remained with members of Company A, until the last member retired. Barney was then bequeathed to the museum in 1984 and has served as our guardian ever since.

Barney's story is a remarkable example of the bonds formed in the field and the lengths to which service members go to care for their own—even if "their own" happens to be a 90-pound sun bear.

Photo One: Standing at full height, Barney’s yellow chest crest if visible. There are five distinct chest crests on sun bears: U, V, O, half circle, and a noncontiguous shape.

Photo Two: In 2025, Barney received conservation treatment, to include repairing small tears around his eyes.

Photo Three: The sharp curved claws of a sun bear help during feeding time. The bears can tear into tree trunks with ease to reach insect nests and colonies.

Photo Four: A close-up shot of Barney, seen wearing a collar, with Sergeant Major Taylor. Take a moment to study the photo; you can see Barney’s claws resting on Taylor’s knee.

Photo Five: Hunched on his back legs, Barney is seen outside in the Gabriel Demonstration Area with Sergeant Jerald Hilleson, one of the members who championed for Barney to return to the United States with the team.

05/15/2026

Today is National Chocolate Chip Day, celebrating the invention of chocolate chips. According to baking lore, Ruth Graves Wakefield was baking cookies and realized she was out of cocoa powder. In a pinch, she decided to chop-up some of her semi-sweet chocolate into morsels and add them to the cookie dough. The chocolate chip was born!

What kind of chocolate chips does the museum have in the collection? The uniform kind. Early uniform development of a desert pattern (desert camouflage uniform) began in the mid-1960’s when potential US involvement in the Middle East arose. This pattern, officially known as the Desert Battle Dress Uniform, drew color inspiration from deserts in the American Southwest.

The uniform pattern consisted of 6-color blocks with a “rock” shape printed in black and off-white. This distinct pattern and color scheme earned the uniform its nickname, “chocolate chip” by soldiers. Uniform development paused in the 1960s, picked back up in the 1970s, but did not see its heaviest production until the 1980s, with a surge in 1981-1991. Although the uniform was developed with desert influence, the American Southwest desert varied from those in the Middle East, the Sinai Peninsula, and Somalia, where the uniform was predominately worn.

Do you have a favorite uniform pattern? Let us know in the comments.

Photo One: This Boonie style hat was worn during Operation Desert Storm by a member of the 5th Psychological Operations Battalion. The hat is made of cotton and nylon.

Photo Two: A close-up view of the “chocolate chip” pattern. Soldiers described the background colors as cookie dough while the black and off-white formed the chocolate chips.

Photo Three: 1st Special Operations Command (Airborne) sleeve patch.

04/28/2026

Did you know, today is National Superhero Day? This holiday was first celebrated in 1995 and was originally created by Marvel Comics.
National Superhero Day was established to not only celebrate our favorite fictional superheroes, like Wonder Woman and Superman, but also the everyday hero like military personnel, and individuals who are heroes to us.

Superman y la Mujer Maravilla: El Asesino Escondido (Superman and Wonder Woman: The Hidden Assassin) was originally printed in 1998 and was dispersed by U.S. embassies throughout Central America. The free comics saw large distribution pushes to countries that were impacted by landmines due to years of civil unrest. In this story, the superhero duo rescue siblings Miguel, Diego, and Gabriella from landmines and teaches them how to keep themselves and others safe from the present danger. Why are superheroes used to teach landmine safety? Children statistically have a higher percentage of being impacted by landmines, and by using known figures, like Superman and Wonder Woman, a more direct level of impact is reached.

The storyline for the comic was conceived by soldiers from the 1st PSYOP Airborne Battalion from Fort Bragg. The popular comics were a collaboration project by DC Comics, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, The United States Department of Defense, the Mine Action Center, and other participating non-governmental organizations.

Stay tuned as we feature other artifacts in our new and ongoing series, “Holiday Highlights: A look through the museum’s collection with a holiday twist.”

Photo captions

Photo one: Cover page of the Hidden Assassin comic. Markings on the upper edge include “free” and the collaboration between DC Comics and UNICEF.

Photo two: This page depicts how close Gabriella was to coming in contact with a landmine while doing laundry. Wonder Woman calls out to Gabriella, ordering her to not touch anything or move.

Photo three: Activity sheet printed in the comic book. Wonder Woman and Superman are asking the reader to mark the images displaying dangerous activities. Only the bottom two demonstrate appropriate actions taken by children when encountering landmines: preventing others from walking through an area with known landmines and alerting the appropriate authorities of a landmine.

Photo four: The last page of the comic explains that although Superman and Wonder Woman saved the day, they might not always be present when another landmine is found. However, you, the reader, can help those in need by incorporating what you learned through the comic. The middle speech balloon emphasizes how children are more than capable of keeping each other safe from land mines.

03/16/2026

02/16/2026

The Museum is closed today in observance of President's Day.

U.S. Army Special Operations Command
U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
1st Special Forces Command - Airborne
U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne)

02/03/2026

The Museum and Gift Shop are open today and will be open regular hours during the lapse in appropriations.

02/01/2026

The Museum and Gift Shop will be CLOSED on Monday due to the weather. We expect to re-open on Tuesday. The Museum and Gift Shop will remain open during any lapse in appropriations (government shutdown).

‼MONDAY, FEB. 02 INSTALLATION UPDATE‼

Fort Bragg will operate on a weather/mission essential employees only status on Monday, Feb. 02. All service members, the civilian workforce and contractors should contact their chain of command or supervisors for further guidance.

Personnel are advised to watch out for BLACK ICE on roads and walkways. It's nearly invisible but dangerously slippery. Reduce speed, keep a safe distance and use proper footwear. Stay safe and vigilant!

To report damage in the barracks, or to facilities on the installation, call (910) 396-0321.

Any power outages in an on-post housing neighborhood or need to call in a maintenance emergency, please contact the Corvias Work Order Hotline at 1-866-206-1365 for main post housing, and 1-866-908-2623 for Linden Oaks.

For Army Emergency Relief emergencies, visit the AER website at https://aerprod.powerappsportals.us

For Family Advocacy Program emergencies, call the 24/7 Fort Bragg Family Abuse Hotline at (910) 322-3418.

ACPs – Gates will operate on the weekend hours on Monday, Feb. 2.

Fort Bragg Family and MWR – Facilities and events will be CLOSED/POSTPONED. All Child and Youth Services facilities are CLOSED – except for Baez SAC and Bauguess CDC, which will be OPEN at 8 a.m. for mission essential employees. 24/7 Fitness Facilities will remain open as long connectivity remains uninterrupted.

Exchange - Fort Bragg – Both Main Exchanges will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2.
• Yarborough Express 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Pope Express 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Linden Oaks 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Old Glory Express 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

DECA – The North Commissary will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb, 2. The South Commissary will operate on a delayed opening at 11 a.m. on Monday Feb. 2.

DHR – All services are closed. Military Funeral Honors are also canceled. The on‑call Casualty Assistance Center can be reached at (910) 309‑6463. The Military Personnel Division will be open on Tuesday, Feb. 3, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch).

DoDEA – DoDEA schools will be closed on Monday, Feb. 2.
• Hoke County - Remote Learning on Feb. 2
• Harnett County - Remote Learning on Feb. 2
• Cumberland County - Remote Learning on Feb. 2
• Moore County - Remote Learning on Feb. 2
• Lee County - Closed on Feb. 2
• Robeson County - Closed on Feb. 2

Womack Army Medical Center – Due to the current inclement weather conditions, Womack Army Medical Center and its outlying and specialty care clinics will be closed on Monday, Feb. 2. This includes Womack Family Medicine Residency Clinic, Byars, Clark, Joel, Robinson Health Clinics, and Hope Mills and Linden Oaks Medical Homes, all Outpatient Pharmacies, Womack Health and Support Center, Intrepid Spirit Center, Fayetteville Rehabilitation Clinic, Medical One Stop, the Fort Bragg Blood Donor Center, all Public Health Facilities and Fort Bragg DENTAC facilities. All appointments scheduled for Monday, Feb. 2 will be rescheduled after clinics have resumed operation during normal business hours. Womack Army Medical Center Inpatient services and the Emergency Department will remain open on Monday, Feb. 2. Fast Track (Urgent Care) will be open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2. Anyone with scheduled surgeries and GI procedures (i.e. colonoscopies, EGD’s) may be affected. Our operative team will be reaching out to update the status of each surgery. Please stay attentive to your phone for updates. All dental clinics will remain closed. In case of an emergency, we kindly request that patients seek assistance at Womack's emergency room. Our DENTAC staff will contact affected patients to reschedule appointments for a later date. For up-to-date information during inclement weather about installation early releases, delays, or closures, visit the WAMC website at https://womack.tricare.mil/ and the Womack page at https://www.facebook.com/WomackAMC. You may also speak with a healthcare Advice Line Nurse 24/7 by calling 1-800-TRICARE, Option 1.

01/26/2026

The Museum and Gift Shop are CLOSED today due to the inclement weather. Stay warm. Stay safe. ❄️

🚨 FORT BRAGG OPERATIONS UPDATE — MONDAY, JANUARY 26

Base Operations will remain in a MISSION ESSENTIAL status on Monday, January 26.
Please refer to the pinned post for a full list of closures and delayed operating hours.

The Fort Bragg Emergency Operations Center continues to actively monitor weather impacts and road conditions across the installation.

⚠️ Road conditions remain hazardous. Personnel are strongly advised to avoid travel while Fort Bragg and surrounding county crews assess and improve roadway safety.

🎓 School Status — Monday, January 26
• DODEA: Closed
• Cumberland County Schools: Remote Learning
• Hoke County Schools: Remote Learning
• Harnett County Schools: Remote Learning
• Moore County Schools: Remote Learning
• Robeson County Schools: Closed

💪 The 24/7 gyms will remain open as long as network connectivity remains.

Please continue to monitor official Fort Bragg channels for updates.