GETTYSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — A new World War II showcasing authentic military artifacts and machinery museum is open in Gettysburg. The museum is also helping give a realistic portrayal of the war.

“This is my dad’s WWII dog tag that he wore in the Battle of the Bulge,” said Lisa Majercik, whose father fought in World War II.

Lisa Majercik’s father is always close to her heart. Now, she has photographs and his war stories.

“This is the casing for my dad’s 21-gun salute,” Majercik said. “On this table, we have a picture of my daddy in World War II, Battle of the Bulge, Patton’s Third Armored Division.”

“When Patton came along, Patton said he wasn’t George C. Scott. His voice was, ‘Son, whatcha doing down in that ditch?’ And dad said, ‘Sir, we’re going to get the krauts,'” Majercik added.

In reality, the Germans got them. Corporal Ray Custard, one of a few from his platoon to survive the battle of the bulge, made it home and so did his belongings.

“That’s his shoulder patch from the 82nd infantry division,” said Mike Jorgensen, tour guide and archivist at the American Experience World War II Museum.

Jorgensen got a visit from Majercik, and others like her, carrying what he calls their stories in a box.

“And it’s got stuff in it that their father had, their grandfather had. Their uniforms, their helmets. They don’t want to throw this away, they don’t have a place to store, and they ask us if we will take it,” Jorgensen said.

The answer is usually yes and both the museum and Jorgensen show it.

“It tells a story of, again, how ordinary men did fantastic things to help the world stay free,” Jorgensen added. “It’s touched a lot of people. A lot of people are very happy they can walk in and see the things their ancestor did.”

“Children should learn from it. It’s history,” Majercik said.

This museum is equal parts men, memorabilia, and machinery.

“We’ve been collecting vehicles and militaria from World War II for a long time,” said Adam Buck, owner of a large military machinery collection.

The Buck family of Gettysburg accumulated tanks, jeeps, and just about anything else with an engine that powered the war effort.

In the collection, a Red Cross club mobile, a welcome sight to war-weary soldiers.

“These trucks would follow GIs who came off the lines and have coffee and donuts to them to raise their morale,” Buck said.

The truck is the only one in North America, and is in a one-of-its-kind private collection that the family wants the public to see,

“The men and women that essentially saved the world, and that’s the reason why we’re here today. We have to keep their history alive,” Buck added.

No town keeps history alive like Gettysburg. A million visitors a year come to see the place where the American Civil War turned. Luring some of those tourists into the new museum should be no battle.

“The country was in danger then, in the 1860s, and come the 40s the country was in significant danger, also. And that story needs to be told,” Buck said.

Majercik needed to share her dad’s story to keep it alive, even though he has passed on.

“Don’t let go. Let go of the past, but honor those that have made history,” Majercik said.