DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Across a bustling street in downtown Daytona Beach sits an antique shop with clocks that chime the sounds of decades past. 

  • Veterans Museum and Education Center honors US military history
  • Memorabilia, uniforms span from World War I to present day 
  • To learn more, visit Veterans Museum's website

Each tick tells its own story, but it's what sits above the clock shop that holds the true story to our history. 

"I wake up now every so often at 3 in the morning and I remember," Korean War veteran Robert Hawes said. "It gets tough."

His uniform sits proudly displayed as a focal point of what's now the Veterans Museum and Education Center.

Many decades after the "forgotten war," Hawes' memory of what he saw there has barely faltered. He still remembers even the most horrific memories. 

"We kept the infantry supplied with ammunition, running it up and down the hill," Hawes said. "But then I carried the dead and wounded off the hill."

At 85 years old, his time now is spent walking through the pictures and artifacts of wars past.

His uniform is one of thousands of pieces of memorabilia the center has collected in just the past two years. 

Pictures, medals, helmets, uniforms all cover the walls. Items from troops around the world date from World War I to the 1940s to present day.

"This place is constantly changing, evolving, increasing," Hawes said. "Honestly, you can spend two or three hours here and still not have seen everything we have." 

It's a spot where you can spend time revisiting our country's history and learning firsthand the stories of our veterans.

The Veterans Museum and Education Center is a nonprofit, so it's free to walk through and explore. But they do ask that you make a donation if you're able to help them expand in the future.

For more information, head to their website.