LITTLE FALLS, Minn. >> Construction is underway on a new museum next to Camp Ripley near Little Falls to honor Minnesota’s military veterans.

When Randal Dietrich looks out over a frozen field next to Highway 371, he envisions a place where people will come to hear the stories of the roles Minnesotans have played in conflicts from the Civil War to the present day.

They’ll hear the stories of men and women who sacrificed and still carry scars, of those who gave their lives and lie beneath white grave markers in the nearby State Veterans Cemetery, connected to the museum via a walkway.

“Those stories of those Minnesota veterans buried there are the kinds of stories that we want our museum to reflect,” said Dietrich, executive director of the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum. “So those artifacts of those individuals can be found right next to where they’re remembered, and adjacent to Camp Ripley and the Mississippi River.”

The museum has outgrown its existing 90-year-old building next to a busy airfield. It’s located behind Camp Ripley’s imposing gates and guard station, which sometimes deter potential visitors, Dietrich said.

Every inch of the current museum is crammed with glass displays of guns, uniforms and medals. Some of its many artifacts are kept in storage. And there’s little room to tell the stories of the 43,000 Minnesota veterans who’ve served since 9/11, Dietrich said.

The new space is a former sunflower field east of the Mississippi River, donated by the property owner. The Legislature provided $32 million to build a 40,000-square-foot museum. Its backers are raising private donations to fill it with galleries, classrooms and theaters.

The new museum will be more immersive and interactive, connecting the artifacts with the people and stories behind them, Dietrich said.

“It can be transformative to help understand the experiences of folks and hear the actual veteran stories,” he said. “You don’t hear that right now in the museum. You don’t hear the voices of veterans. So in our new space, you’ll walk through and you’ll hear their accounts.”

The museum also will tell the stories of military families and the sacrifices they made, Dietrich said, especially post-9/11 veterans who served multiple deployments.

Along with the submarine parts, the new museum grounds will provide space to display helicopters, tanks and other relics. And organizers have been tracking down other artifacts, including a 50-caliber gun from the USS Ward destroyer.

A St. Paul-based reservist crew helped man the gun, and they’re credited with firing the first shots in defense of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The gun sits on the Minnesota Capitol Mall, but there’s a petition to relocate it to the new museum.