Editor's Note: The headline on this article has been corrected. See correction below.
Active United States military members and their families can go to the National Churchill Museum at Westminster College free of charge this summer, according to the college's president Dr. Benjamin Ola. Akande.
The National Churchill Museum - a member of the Blue Star Museum program, is open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily, and typically charges a fee ranging from $6.50-$8.50 for children and adults.
"However, we are waiving admission fees for active duty GIs, including members of the National Guard and Reserve units, and their families this summer to salute their service and acknowledge the sacrifices they and their families make to help protect our country," Akande said.
Timothy Riley, the Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout director and chief curator of the National Churchill Museum, said the museum recently became a member of the Blue Star Museum program, a service provided through Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Department of Defense. and the MetLife Foundation. The National Churchill Museum's participation is made possible by a gift from Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout.
Blue Star Families, which was founded in 2009, provides an array of benefits and services for active duty military members and their families. It includes the Blue Star Museum program, which also offers free admission to more than 20 history, fine arts, children's and science museums, and nature centers across Missouri and hundreds more nationwide.
For admittance, military members and their family are required to present their military IDs, Riley said.
The Blue Star organization also offers a youth-focused Parent Toolkit to help prepare kids for museum tours.
"The National Churchill Museum is devoted to promoting the life, leadership and legacy of the late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill," Riley said. "We believe military men and women, their families and everyone else would enjoy visiting our museum, where they will learn more about Churchill and come to fully appreciate his commitment to service and true leadership."
Correction: The original headline on this article, online and in print, stated free admission to the museum was extended to veterans. Free admission is for active military members and their families, as stated in the article. The errant headline has since been corrected on this page.