On September 1, 2026, the DEA Museum opens a new, temporary exhibit to commemorate and reflect upon the attacks of 9/11, twenty-five years later. The exhibit features wreckage and clothing from Ground Zero, rubble from the Pentagon, and artifacts recovered from Flight 93 at Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The exhibit also offers powerful photo imagery, quotes from retired DEA staff who witnessed the attacks, and explores DEA’s responses in the months and years following. The exhibit will be open throughout the month of September at DEA Headquarters in Arlington, VA.
Recipients of the DEA Purple Heart Award receive a heart-shaped medal with a DEA Special Agent badge embossed on a purple background hanging from a red, white, and blue ribbon.
A new online exhibit honors DEA Purple Heart recipients. The DEA Purple Heart Award was established on January 5, 1996, to honor those individuals who have been seriously wounded or killed while performing duties in an official capacity. The prestigious award reflects DEA’s recognition of the inherent dangers of drug law enforcement in the United States.
Click the link below to view the current 142 recipients.
The Black and Gold Pipes and Drums band perform in front of DEA HQ in Arlington, VA.
The DEA Museum has created an online exhibit to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the DEA Black & Gold Pipes and Drums band. The band was established in 2001 by members of DEA who sought a more personal way to honor their fallen colleagues. The long-standing tradition of bagpipes in law enforcement originates from Irish and Scottish immigrants who held numerous positions in police departments across cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago.
The DEA Black & Gold Pipes and Drums band travels nationwide to perform at funerals, memorial services, and other events. Members volunteer their time and talent, balancing their professional duties and personal lives while devoting themselves to serving in this unique and honorable way. Click the link below to learn more about the band’s 25-year legacy.
Retired Special Agent Kevin Donnelly performs at DEA Supervisory Special Agent in Charge Frank Gulich’s memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery.
On June 8, 2026, several employees joined friends and family for the internment ceremony for former DEA Supervisory Special Agent in Charge Frank Gulich at Arlington National Cemetery. Frank was a 28-year veteran of DEA, having been first hired by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. During his retirement years in Northern Virginia, Frank served as a volunteer tour guide at the DEA Museum. Over the years, Frank gave countless museum tours to student and international tour groups, sharing his experiences and key moments in federal drug law enforcement history. Frank passed away in August 2024 at the age of 92. A member of the DEA Black & Gold Pipes and Drums band, retired Special Agent Kevin Donnelly, played during the service.
John “Jack” Cusack discusses the famous 1960s-era French Connection.
The DEA Museum works to make federal drug law enforcement history accessible, including by making archival oral history interviews with staff from DEA and its predecessor agencies available online. The interviews offer valuable insights into DEA’s historic cases, missions, challenges, and successes. In this one, John “Jack” Cusack, a retired DEA Special Agent, describes his role in taking down heroin traffickers associated with the French Connection in the 1960s. Cusack shares other highlights of his decades-long career with DEA, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Click the link below to watch Mr. Cusack’s 1996 interview.
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