ABBEVILLE, La. (AP) _ Ground has been broken for the Louisiana Military Hall of Fame and Museum.

The project is set to be done in phases. The first phase is expected to include a 100-foot-by-300-feet metal building near the airport that would provide room to restore military equipment including aircraft, tanks and weapons.

The second phase calls for a pentagon-shaped facility that would house the Hall.

"We're here to recognize every veteran in every war from the state of Louisiana," said Gen. Bob LeBlanc a member of the museum's board of directors. "We want a grandson, or great grandson, to be able to come here, and the veteran's military record will ?be here."

Many items have already been collected for the museum, including a pair of vintage PV2 Harpoon aircraft on the airport grounds.

Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, whose office will oversee the project's development, hailed Friday's groundbreaking as "a long time coming."