Next July 4, when ground is broken on the National Military History Center in Auburn, Ind., two Miami Valley residents will take a step closer to realizing a dream.

The complex of museums and galleries in northeast Indiana will become home to the American Veterans Hall of Honor and American Veterans Research Library being established by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Mike Jackson and Tara Dixon-Engel. They are co-founders of the Tipp City-based American Veterans Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to grassroots initiatives to honor veterans.

The history center will contain the existing World War II Victory Museum that Indiana entrepreneur and auto auctioneer Dean Kruse spent more than $22 million to establish a few years ago.

Now, a new capital campaign is underway to raise $23 million to expand that museum and establish the Hall of Honor and research library in an L-shaped addition.

Kruse Foundation spokeswoman Teresa Melcher said the new center will strive to capture history from wars before and after World War II to show "the way America has fought her wars and, mostly, the people who have fought."

The World War II Victory Museum opened in May 2003 and boasts a vast collection of artifacts from the war, including 150 vehicles and hundreds of uniforms, weapons and smaller artifacts. Most came from the former Victory Memorial Museum that was located in Messancy, Belgium.

When Kruse decided to expand the victory museum, he hired Jackson and Dixon-Engel to help him craft a strategic plan.

When Kruse learned of their plans for the Hall of Honor and research library, Melcher said, discussions led to developing the National Military History Center.

"He has a real love of veterans and he thought this was a great match," Jackson said.

Dixon-Engel called it "an incredible opportunity" that moved their plans ahead 10 years.

Jackson and Dixon-Engel worked together for several years at the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, where he was executive director and she was director of research.

They both left in January 2005 to oversee plans for a national celebration called Operation Welcome Home, billed as "America's long overdue tribute to her Vietnam veterans."

Auburn will be the site of the next national Operation Welcome Home celebration from July 4-6, 2008.

The hall would spotlight the veterans who have made a contribution to society as a result of their service, while the library would collect letters, journals, and other first-hand accounts by veterans of their military service and war experiences. The organizers hope to eventually digitize them, organize them and make them available online for research.