thedrifter
11-14-06, 11:14 AM
War through the eyes of US Marines
by Dan De Luce
From screaming drill instructors at boot camp to harrowing gun battles in the streets of Iraq, a new museum tries to convey a sense of what US Marines have endured during more than two centuries of waging war.
Starting with America's war of independence and ending with the "Global War on Terrorism," the new National Museum of the Marine Corps opened its doors to the public on Monday with multimedia exhibits that attempt to recreate the sights and sounds of the corps' most famous -- and bloodiest -- battles.
Visitors are invited to stand in a simulated amphibious landing craft from World War II before it lands on the sands of Iwo Jima, amid the sound of Japanese sniper fire and orders shouted by commanding officers: "Keep your heads down people or we'll never even make it to the beach!"
The display may be hi-tech but it is not meant as light entertainment. On the first day of the Iwo Jima landing, the US Marines suffered 2,420 casualties, visitors are told.
The raising of the American flag by Marines at Iwo Jima, which became the subject of a now iconic photograph, is supposed to serve as the inspiration for the design of the imposing museum. Like a giant ship, the mast of the building juts into the sky, visible for miles amid the Virginia hills.
The famous photo at Iwo Jima is now the subject of a Hollywood film directed by Clint Eastwood, "Flags of Our Fathers." But the museum chooses to mostly sidestep the story of how fame caused so much grief for the soldiers who raised the flag.
The museum starts with a glimpse of how new recruits are turned into warriors at "boot camp," with recordings of drill instructors yelling "Shut your mouth!" and "Stand up straight!"
To drive home the grim conditions faced by Marines surrounded near the Chosin reservoir in Korea, visitors are led to a darkened, chilly room as soldiers plead over their radio for more artillery fire on a snowy mountain range.
"You'll notice under the snow some dead Chinese," says the museum guide, pointing to mannequins covered in fake snow.
Another display recreates a vulnerable hilltop outpost near Khe Sanh in Vietnam, with visitors walking through the fuselage of a vibrating Ch-46 helicopter accompanied by the sound of urgent radio messages and explosions.
While the museum concentrates on the courage and sacrifices of Marines, it does not shy away from the terrible losses suffered in combat and alludes to the painful legacy of Vietnam without passing judgment.
The section on Vietnam acknowledges the domestic turmoil the conflict caused and describes the emergency helicopter evacuation of Americans from Saigon in 1975 as the war's "bitter end."
The museum opening comes at a time when Marines are once again engaged in difficult combat abroad amid bitter public debate at home over the US government's rationale for military action.
A more somber exhibit of photographs depicts Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq in recent years, some in the heat of combat. First-hand accounts by Marines describe nervousness before deployment and losing their comrades on the front line.
Descriptions of more recent operations by Marines in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq come under the title, "Seeking Stability." And the museum store includes an account of the British experience in Iraq, published in 1920, "The Insurrection of Mesopotamia."
Many of the visitors who showed up for opening day were retired Marines themselves, some of them elderly men who had served in World War II and the Korean war.
"I visited Iwo Jima and walked the beach there and I don't know how you did it," one female museum volunteer told an old veteran, moving him to tears.
In the Vietnam war section, two gray-haired Marines pointed to a map, and remembered being ambushed near the Ben Hal river. "We took almost 50 percent casualties," said one. "The fighting went on and on."
The "tough-guy" reputation of the Marines -- portrayed on the big screen by John Wayne and other actors -- may have become a bit of a cliche in American pop culture but for veterans of the corps, the camaraderie and loyalty in their ranks is something very real.
"From the first day someone comes into boot camp, it's about where we've been, what we've done, what's expected of him," said John Elliott, a volunteer at the museum and a retired US Marine major who served in Korea and Vietnam.
"A lot if is -- gee, I don't want to let these guys down. When you're with another marine, you just know you can count on him," he said.
Another Vietnam veteran, Garland King, 55, pointed out the rifle he carried from 1969 to 1971, and told his wife, "I could take that thing apart right now in 15 seconds."
For King, the museum rang true. "It brings back memories," King said. "It all comes back. I can smell it."
Ellie
by Dan De Luce
From screaming drill instructors at boot camp to harrowing gun battles in the streets of Iraq, a new museum tries to convey a sense of what US Marines have endured during more than two centuries of waging war.
Starting with America's war of independence and ending with the "Global War on Terrorism," the new National Museum of the Marine Corps opened its doors to the public on Monday with multimedia exhibits that attempt to recreate the sights and sounds of the corps' most famous -- and bloodiest -- battles.
Visitors are invited to stand in a simulated amphibious landing craft from World War II before it lands on the sands of Iwo Jima, amid the sound of Japanese sniper fire and orders shouted by commanding officers: "Keep your heads down people or we'll never even make it to the beach!"
The display may be hi-tech but it is not meant as light entertainment. On the first day of the Iwo Jima landing, the US Marines suffered 2,420 casualties, visitors are told.
The raising of the American flag by Marines at Iwo Jima, which became the subject of a now iconic photograph, is supposed to serve as the inspiration for the design of the imposing museum. Like a giant ship, the mast of the building juts into the sky, visible for miles amid the Virginia hills.
The famous photo at Iwo Jima is now the subject of a Hollywood film directed by Clint Eastwood, "Flags of Our Fathers." But the museum chooses to mostly sidestep the story of how fame caused so much grief for the soldiers who raised the flag.
The museum starts with a glimpse of how new recruits are turned into warriors at "boot camp," with recordings of drill instructors yelling "Shut your mouth!" and "Stand up straight!"
To drive home the grim conditions faced by Marines surrounded near the Chosin reservoir in Korea, visitors are led to a darkened, chilly room as soldiers plead over their radio for more artillery fire on a snowy mountain range.
"You'll notice under the snow some dead Chinese," says the museum guide, pointing to mannequins covered in fake snow.
Another display recreates a vulnerable hilltop outpost near Khe Sanh in Vietnam, with visitors walking through the fuselage of a vibrating Ch-46 helicopter accompanied by the sound of urgent radio messages and explosions.
While the museum concentrates on the courage and sacrifices of Marines, it does not shy away from the terrible losses suffered in combat and alludes to the painful legacy of Vietnam without passing judgment.
The section on Vietnam acknowledges the domestic turmoil the conflict caused and describes the emergency helicopter evacuation of Americans from Saigon in 1975 as the war's "bitter end."
The museum opening comes at a time when Marines are once again engaged in difficult combat abroad amid bitter public debate at home over the US government's rationale for military action.
A more somber exhibit of photographs depicts Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq in recent years, some in the heat of combat. First-hand accounts by Marines describe nervousness before deployment and losing their comrades on the front line.
Descriptions of more recent operations by Marines in Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq come under the title, "Seeking Stability." And the museum store includes an account of the British experience in Iraq, published in 1920, "The Insurrection of Mesopotamia."
Many of the visitors who showed up for opening day were retired Marines themselves, some of them elderly men who had served in World War II and the Korean war.
"I visited Iwo Jima and walked the beach there and I don't know how you did it," one female museum volunteer told an old veteran, moving him to tears.
In the Vietnam war section, two gray-haired Marines pointed to a map, and remembered being ambushed near the Ben Hal river. "We took almost 50 percent casualties," said one. "The fighting went on and on."
The "tough-guy" reputation of the Marines -- portrayed on the big screen by John Wayne and other actors -- may have become a bit of a cliche in American pop culture but for veterans of the corps, the camaraderie and loyalty in their ranks is something very real.
"From the first day someone comes into boot camp, it's about where we've been, what we've done, what's expected of him," said John Elliott, a volunteer at the museum and a retired US Marine major who served in Korea and Vietnam.
"A lot if is -- gee, I don't want to let these guys down. When you're with another marine, you just know you can count on him," he said.
Another Vietnam veteran, Garland King, 55, pointed out the rifle he carried from 1969 to 1971, and told his wife, "I could take that thing apart right now in 15 seconds."
For King, the museum rang true. "It brings back memories," King said. "It all comes back. I can smell it."
Ellie