Colleen Blockhus posedbehind the roof-mounted .50-caliber gun of a Humvee — the same type her uncle rode in as an Army major in Operation Desert Storm.

"It’s pretty cool," said Blockhus, 10, of Sugarland, Texas, at the U.S. Army Museum Hawaii in Waikiki. "There’s actual stuff that’s being used in the Army."

Several organizations joined together Saturday to hold the annual Living History Day at the Army Museum, giving the public a glimpse into the world of the military in honor of national Armed Forces Day. The Army provided units that brought the Humvees and military police dogs, while members of nonprofit groups showed up with restored military vehicles, dressed in historic attire, or displayed weapons from earlier eras.

Sheldon Tyau, who helped organize the first Living History Day 12 years ago, grew up when Armed Forces Day was a much bigger production in Waikiki.

He recalled the Army would drive tanks up onto Ala Moana Beach Park and fire live rounds toward the reef in the 1960s. Reserve Officer Training Corps programs from various schools also brought their students to march in Waikiki.

Tyau, the Army Museum’s store manager, said he hopes to restore some of the fanfare that’s been lost on Armed Forces Day in Hawaii through Living History Day.

Museum curator Mike Egami said Living History Day covers the history of the armed forces, including the Indian wars, both world wars, the Vietnam war, and the current conflict in Afghanistan.

"It’s a proud history of the military," he said.

Collectors brought dozens of authentic guns from historical periods. One collector brought a German .75-caliber hand cannon from the mid-1400s that could still be fired by stuffing the barrel with any projectile, then lighting the gunpowder at the back of the barrel through a small hole.

Abraham Curtin, 8, wanted to attend the event because of his interest in aviation.

"I think I got into it when I saw my first war movie about planes," he said. "I got to go into the armored trucks. That was awesome, but I had a problem. I thought it was bigger. I hit my head."

His sister, Cherriesa, 6, liked the rifles.

"Some are in the old days," she said. "I like them because they have shiny wood on them."

Michael Wee, 60, a collector of military vehicles, drove his 21⁄2-ton truck from the 1960s, known as a "deuce and a half" and a relic of the Vietnam war era.

Wee, a service station manager from St. Louis Heights, said his interest in military memorabilia began with his interest in the weapons.

"You follow historic arms, you follow history," he said.

Nongnut Curtin, mother of Abraham and Cherriesa and a Thai national, said the event was good for her children, who are American.

"It’s really important for them to love their country, no matter what country you are," she said. "It’s good that they show like this. It makes the kids appreciate the job of the soldiers and then the old time."