The Museum of the Bible have announced through their website that they are offering free admission to the thousands of National Guard members still deployed at Washington D. C.
As per the press release posted on their website, the Museum of the Bible's offer is valid until April 4, Easter Sunday, and is given as a little token of appreciation "for their service."
"We are so grateful to the servicemen and women of the National Guard for keeping us safe, as they are among the first to respond when crises arise. While free admission is but a small token of our esteem, we want to honor them for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make every day," Museum Of The Bible Chief Executive Officer Harry Hargrave said in the press release.
Hargrave told the Christian Post in an email interview that the Museum wanted to "honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women" that have been protecting Washington, D.C. since January. He said they "see National Guardsmen" in their "area every day" since the museum is three blocks from the National Mall and the U.S. Capitol.
The press release provided a list of "significant items" that are "on display" in the Museum that members of the National Guard may find interesting. These are the Private George Raymon Rome's portrait and personal New Testament, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) American Navy Edition New Testament, Aitken New Testament and Aitken Bible.
In addition, the Museum also provided "several military Bible that are viewable online," such as the Admiral David Farragut's Bible, the Rear Admiral Pierce Crosby's Bible, The Soldier's Pocket Bible, and the Gospel of John, Army and Navy Edition.
"Museum of the Bible is grateful to a generous private donor who helped make this offer possible," the press release revealed. Accordingly, members of the National Guard are asked to present proper identification at the ticketing counter of the museum.
Hargrave explained during his interview with the Christian Post that the "donor contacted" the Museum "last month" in "providing tickets to the soldiers stationed" in the area, which in turn provided them to "extend the free admission offer to all National Guard" members until Easter. He disclosed that, as of date, only a few dozen National Guard members have availed of their offer.
The Christian Post said admission fees to the Museum normally cost $24.99 per adult, which gets a discount when purchased online and becomes $19.99 only.
"Given the challenging circumstances, we're really encouraged by the many people who want to learn more about the Bible with us. We've seen our online engagement increase as we provide new virtual programs and ways to explore the Bible's history and impact, such as our podcast and Storytime series for kids," Hargrave added.
The Christian Post said that the 5000 members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. is what's left of the original 25,000 stationed for President Joseph Biden, Jr.'s inauguration last January 20. The large deployment was a precautionary measure from the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot from happening again.
WTOP News reported that nearly 5,000 National Guardsmen remain in Washington until March 12 because of intel information that QAnon intends to gather on March 4 believing that former President Donald Trump could still be inaugurated on the said day.
The U.S. Capitol Police actually requested for the 4,900 members of the National Guard to stay since they were still determining "what an appropriate force presence looks like" since the "threat landscape has changed" after the inauguration of Biden.
