News Release

Veterans Day Temporary Exhibit

Some of the US Army Special Forces "Green Berets" as they retraced the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

News Release Date: November 9, 2021

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Fort Clatsop is proud to debut a new temporary exhibit honoring Veterans Day in the park Visitor Center exhibit hall. 

“Men of Many Capabilities” commemorates the 50^th anniversary of when the US Army Special Forces “Green Berets” retraced the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Twenty-two men of the Special Forces’ 5th and 7th Groups from Fort Bragg, N.C. took part in the 1971 expedition. The expedition was led by Captains Michael Lewis of Spokane, Wash. and Bernard Haskins Jr. of El Cajon, Calif. 

The 1971 expedition represented only the second US military expedition across North America –and the first since Lewis and Clark’s journey of 1804-1806.  

All the men had recently returned from service in Vietnam, where the US was still actively engaged in combat. While officially a training exercise, the Green Berets’ retracing of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also served as an important source of goodwill ambassadorship at a time of growing dissolution over US military intervention in Vietnam. 

“Men of Many Capabilities” features details of the 1971 expedition, including the Green Berets’ food and means of transportation. Original objects donated by Capt. Michael Lewis are on display, along with photos from the men’s arrival at Fort Clatsop on Sept. 5, 1971. A matching game for children is also available. Military veterans are encouraged to share their reflections on “teamwork” and “leadership” from their service years on comment cards at the exhibit. 

“Men of Many Capabilities” is on display now through Dec. 11 and is available during regular hours. 

For more information, call the park at [phone], check out www.nps.gov/lewi