Programs
Distinguished Writing AwardsThe Army Historical Foundation has an annual awards program to recognize books and articles that have made a distinctive contribution to U.S. Army history.
Candidates are nominated by their publishers. Each candidate receives an initial screening. A select Awards Committee of distinguished military historians and writers carefully judge the finalists. Each finalist is judged against the following four criteria: Significance to U.S. Army History, quality of writing (e.g. clarity, style and analysis), historical accuracy, and presentation (e.g. use of maps, photographs or other materials).
The Distinguished Book and Article Award consists of a distinctive plaque and a nominal cash prize to the author. The winners are announced to the public at the Annual Meeting of the Army Historical Foundation in June of each year.
For more information, please contact Matthew Seelinger, Chief Historian, at (703) 522-7901, ext. 4166, email matt.seelinger@armyhistory.org
Historical InquiriesThe Foundation's History Division responds to over 500 historical inquiries annually. Questions come from academic historians, students, the press, veterans, and interested citizens. If you have a question regarding Army history, please follow this link.
Historical PreservationThe Foundation has supported several historic preservation projects, including restoration of the 20th Maine battle flag used at Gettysburg. The Foundation provides grants to Army museums for use in preservation projects and serves as a facilitator for donations of artifacts to the National Museum of the United States Army.
Continuing the Army Tradition of Staff Rides
One of the most popular membership benefits of the Army Historical Foundation are staff rides— detailed tours of battlefields. Since 2000, the Foundation has conducted 2-3 staff rides per year, traveling to Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness/Spotsylvania, Cedar Creek, and other locations. Each ride provides a detailed analysis of the battle, focusing not just on the battle itself, but other important aspects, such as events leading up to the battle, an examination of the opposing forces, armaments, logistics, and the aftermath. The cost of each ride includes round trip charter bus transportation, maps, box lunches, and maps.
Lemnitzer LecturesAnother activity open to members of the Army Historical Foundation is the Lemnitzer Lecture Series. Named for one of the Foundation’s founders, the late GEN Lyman L. Lemnitzer, and co-sponsored with the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), this lecture series provides a unique opportunity to examine contemporary challenges in America’s Army from a variety of perspectives: Theoretical to practical, historic to contemporary, and strategic to operational. Lemnitzer Lectures are generally held four times a year at the AUSA Building in Arlington, VA
Past speakers have included Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down; Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of An Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle; and GEN Barry McCaffrey, USA-Ret.
