The Board of Directors of the Army Heritage Center Foundation announces the 2010 recipients of the Major General John Armstrong Award, the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the citizens of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The Armstrong Award will be given at the Foundation’s Third Annual Membership Dinner on September 10, 2010 at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Dinner will honor veterans past and present, those who support Soldiers, and those who support the Army Heritage Center Foundation and the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in “Telling the Army Story . . . one Soldier at a time.” The event will also celebrate the completion of Phase One of the Visitor and Education Center.

The 2010 MG John Armstrong Award will recognize both the contributions of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the citizens of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in their support of the development of the US Army Heritage and Education Center. 

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its citizens have provided significant support to the development of the US Army Heritage and Education Center.  Former Governor Tom Ridge provided strong and vocal leadership during discussions with the Army on the value of collocating a museum with the archival collections of the US Army Military History Institute.  He authorized early Department of Community and Economic Development grants that allowed the Foundation to facilitate the development of the complex.  Our local elected state representatives obtained legislation that provided the authority for the project to receive Redevelopment Assistance Capital Projects (RACP) grants.  Former Governor Mark Schweiker authorized the RACP grant in 2002 and Governor Edward Rendell released $10.25 million in 2005 that supported the construction of Phase One of the Visitor and Education Center.

Representing Governor Ed Rendell in accepting the award on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is Pennsylvania National Guard Adjutant General, Major General Jessica Wright. General Wright became the first female maneuver brigade commander in the United States Army as she took command of the 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Pennsylvania Army National Guard. In 2004, General Wright was sworn in as Pennsylvania’s first female Adjutant General.

Cumberland County donated the land for the US Army Heritage and Education Center and facilitated the efforts of the Army Heritage Center Foundation from 2001 through 2010, through grants of the County’s hotel tax.   Accepting the award for the County will be COL John Connolly, US Army Retired.  COL Connolly is a former Deputy Commandant of the US Army War College and served the citizens of Cumberland County from 1996 until 2005, first as Cumberland County Director of Veterans Affairs and culminating as Chief Clerk of Cumberland County.     

For information about the dinner, please contact the Foundation’s office at 717-258-1102 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .