FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- The U.S. Army has been on the front lines of history for well over two centuries, but in all that time, it has never had a national museum of its own to display a vast collection of artifacts. Now, there's a plan to change that.

Chris Semancik is chief of collections at the U.S. Army's Museum Support Center, a massive, climate-controlled facility at Fort Belvoir, Va. Here, the nearly 240-year history of the U.S. Army is preserved.

"Every piece of equipment that a soldier would carry or wear, from the Revolutionary War all the way up through current operations," Semancik says. "Boots, canteens, helmets."

One of the oldest pieces is the powder horn of Levi Gashet.

"He was a Minuteman and answered the call on April 19, 1775, to respond to the crisis at Lexington and Concord," Semancik explains. "It's quintessential Americana."