WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Information about the National Guard, the oldest military organization in the country, can be found in a new museum that opened here March 17.

The National Guard Memorial Museum is located at One Massachusetts Ave., N.W., one block west of Union Station. The museum occupies 5,600 square feet of the lower level of the National Guard Association of the United States.

It is the first national museum dedicated to the National Guard and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays

The museum's displays and artifacts highlight the history and mission of the colonial militia and the modern Army and Air National Guard. It has exhibit areas featuring the citizen-soldier serving in the homeland defense and in conflicts and peacekeeping missions around the world. Every state and U.S. territory is represented in the museum.