The U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) is partnering with the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (CRI) for a virtual panel marking the initial “Monuments Men and Women” training event Sept. 16, 2020 at 11 a.m. ET.

Speakers at the “Monuments Men and Women for the 21st-Century Force” virtual program will include Brig. Gen. Jeffrey C. Coggin, USACAPOC(A) commanding general, Col. Andrew S. DeJesse, director of the USACAPOC(A) 38G program, Dr. Richard Kurin, distinguished scholar and ambassador-at-large for the Smithsonian Institute, and Ms. Corine Wegener, director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative and retired Army Reserve Civil Affairs officer.

According to the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, in addition to the panel of experts and leaders speaking at the virtual program, scheduled events include “a trailer from the documentary, Stout Hearted: George Stout and the Guardians of Art, and the opportunity to learn why the Monuments Men of WWII have a special place in the collections of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.”

Participants will also hear from some of the 21st-century Monuments Men and Women who have chosen to carry on this important legacy.

The Army Monument Officers Training (AMOT) program is a partnership between the Army Reserve’s U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) and the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative to continue the legacy of the World War II Monuments Men and Women, a group of curators, architects and other cultural heritage specialists who served in the Army Civil Affairs Division and were tasked to save many of Europe’s cultural treasures.

“This partnership will provide exceptional training for our Army Reserve Civil Affairs Soldiers as it relates to their military governance responsibilities in the areas of protection of cultural property and the rule of law,” said Brig. Gen. Jeffrey C. Coggin, USACAPOC(A) commanding general.

The AMOT program is designed to enhance the ability of the modern Soldier to protect and preserve the same kinds of treasures during future conflict or war. The officers who enter into the program become Military Government Specialists, a separate area of concentration (38G) under the Civil Affairs officer branch that is available only to traditional Army Reserve officers.

The AMOT program is scheduled to take place virtually, and tickets can be scheduled at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/118650778673.

For additional information about the “Monuments Men and Women for the 21st-Century Force” program or the 38G training program, go to the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative website https://culturalrescue.si.edu/, or contact the USACAPOC(A) Public Affairs Office at 910.432.2035/usarmy.usarc.usacapoc.mbx.pao@mail.mil for questions or media inquiries.