A page in history unfolds in east Orange County at the National Vietnam War Museum. Retired Maj. Eustace Horne is my guide.

White the weapons of war that surround us sit silent now, Horne said he wants to be sure their story -- and that of the men and women who guided them -- speaks to us all.

A younger generation may have seen military helicopters in grainy old films, or river patrol boats with their young, nameless crews. But here, they do have names, like the one shared by the museum: Cpl. Larry Smedley, an 18-year-old from Colonial High School who died in 1967 while saving his squadmates.

"What's important about Larry is that he is [the only one] from Orange County who has ever received the Medal of Honor," said Horne.

The National Vietnam War Museum is located at 3400 N. Tanner Road, Orlando, east of the University of Central Florida.

Established in 2000, the museum is hoping to expand someday with more static displays and space for all the donations it's had to keep in storage.

Last year, more than 16,000 visitors to the museum, most of them from overseas, heard Larry's story. They also had the chance to see a scale model of Camp Delta Charley, a tribute from a son to his fallen father, and a packed bunker filled with other, very personal donations.

Horne and a handful of other veteran volunteers share these lessons of war, and the price we pay for waging it.

"The first thing we tell them is the toys outside and what's inside are really cool. You can play with them, but you have to understand that what everything was," Horne explained. "Everything here was made for one purpose only, and that's to kill people."

Horned served three tours of duty in Vietnam. He was awarded the Silver Star, three Bronze Stars with Valor, Purple Hearts and more. But while the museum is a place filled with stories, his is not one the former Green Beret wished to share.

"It's something that's personal for me, and I don't want to talk about it. It's just between me and my God," said Horne.

His actions, and those of all veterans, speak louder than words ever could, and the work fo the National Vietnam War Museum is a reminder to salute our heroes everyday.

"Because we are a band of brothers. We really are," said Horne.