thedrifter
05-25-07, 04:37 PM
Marine museum visit a must
by Celeste H. Breitenbach
news@timesheraldnews.com
Just about a two-hour drive south on I-95 off Exit 150A in Triangle, Va., adjacent to the Quantico Marine Base, is a new museum that should be a must-see for every American.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps, opened Nov. 10, 2006 in time to celebrate 231 years of USMC history, not only is a walk through the Corps history – it is a walk through American history.
And what a walk it is!
The design of the building itself evokes Marine imagery with a 210-foot angled spire that summons to mind Iwo Jima, a Marine rifle or sword held aloft or maybe even aircraft taking off from a runway.
Jutting through the roof, the iconic spire has its footprint inside the capacious Leatherneck Gallery where a Sikorsky helicopter deploys Marines for Korean conflict, combat-ready Marines leave an assault vessel in Tarawa (the first battle using an amphibian landing) and a Curtiss Jenny, Corsair and Harrier Jet soar overhead along with Pappy Boyington’s legendary Baa Baa Black Sheep.
Quotes defining the Marine Corps surround the top of the gallery’s walls.
This building eventually will be the centerpiece for the Marine Heritage Center, which will include a hotel, conference center and chapel.
Its current four permanent exhibits represent living veteran groups. Planned are exhibits on the Continental Marines and WWI.
Self Tour
Start your tour by viewing the 13-minute orientation film: “What It Means to be a Marine” in the Scuttlebutt Theater, and plan to spend at least four hours to see the whole museum if you really want to get into it.
Walk the Legacy Walk and learn the history of the Marines and follow the Timeline of the Corps. A replica of the rigging on USS Constitution offers a view of the Marines’ beginning role as marksmen in the rigging of the new U.S. Navy during the Revolutionary War.
Learn Marine facts and figures along the way.
Did you know that early Marines wore a strip of leather to protect their neck from sword slashes – thus the term Leatherneck?
See artifacts such as melted glass from Nagasaki. Hear stirring Sousa marches. Pop into little alcoves to view short videos on specific topics.
March into the Boot Camp exhibit for a peek into Marine basic training. (What binds Marines is that everyone has to earn the title of Marine.) And earn it they do in this most challenging of all services.
Stand on the yellow footprints just as young recruits do when they get off the bus. Step into a booth and hear the voice of a DI (Drill Instructor), rappel a tower, try some chin-ups, heft a backpack. For $5, try the rifle range simulator.
Significant Battles
Feel ready to experience combat? Step into World War II and follow the Marines in battle across the Pacific.
Be briefed for the Battle of Iwo Jima and leave to find yourself in a Higgins boat in the thick of that battle’s landing. As a surround screen imparts the sights and sounds, hear prayers and know, “We are landing on hell’s beach and we are fighting the devil himself. God help us.”
Exit to a massive wall with Marine and Navy insignia posted for each of the 6,140 deaths there and see the actual flag that was raised on Mt. Suribachi.
When WWII ended, the Cold War began, and heated up with Korea. Land on Inchon and proceed to the Chosin Reservoir where you’ll feel the freezing cold.
Walk through a helicopter, feel its vibration and the sound of its overhead rotor and step off into the heat of Vietnam for a sense of that time and place.
Other Features
Also on this first deck are the Global War on Terrorism photo exhibit and the Combat Art Gallery.
Food services are available on Deck 2 in the Mess Hall and Tun Tavern, a recreation of the traditional birthplace of the Marine Corps on Nov. 10, 1775.
Outside, inscribed bricks line winding pathways in the adjacent Semper Fidelis Memorial Park.
Here a statue of the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps – who served over 40 years and is often referred to as “the greatest of all Leathernecks” – Maj. Gen. John Lejeune stands in eternal watch over this outstanding monument dedicated to honor the service, commitment and sacrifices made by all Marines.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Christmas. Admission and parking are free.
Wheelchairs are available on request at no cost. To plan a visit, go to www.usmcmuseum.org or call 877-635-1775. To arrange school or group tours, call 703-784-6121.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps near Quantico Marine Base in Virginia takes visitors on a tour of Corps history from its creation at Tun Tavern in 1775, through major battles of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and into the present.
Ellie
by Celeste H. Breitenbach
news@timesheraldnews.com
Just about a two-hour drive south on I-95 off Exit 150A in Triangle, Va., adjacent to the Quantico Marine Base, is a new museum that should be a must-see for every American.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps, opened Nov. 10, 2006 in time to celebrate 231 years of USMC history, not only is a walk through the Corps history – it is a walk through American history.
And what a walk it is!
The design of the building itself evokes Marine imagery with a 210-foot angled spire that summons to mind Iwo Jima, a Marine rifle or sword held aloft or maybe even aircraft taking off from a runway.
Jutting through the roof, the iconic spire has its footprint inside the capacious Leatherneck Gallery where a Sikorsky helicopter deploys Marines for Korean conflict, combat-ready Marines leave an assault vessel in Tarawa (the first battle using an amphibian landing) and a Curtiss Jenny, Corsair and Harrier Jet soar overhead along with Pappy Boyington’s legendary Baa Baa Black Sheep.
Quotes defining the Marine Corps surround the top of the gallery’s walls.
This building eventually will be the centerpiece for the Marine Heritage Center, which will include a hotel, conference center and chapel.
Its current four permanent exhibits represent living veteran groups. Planned are exhibits on the Continental Marines and WWI.
Self Tour
Start your tour by viewing the 13-minute orientation film: “What It Means to be a Marine” in the Scuttlebutt Theater, and plan to spend at least four hours to see the whole museum if you really want to get into it.
Walk the Legacy Walk and learn the history of the Marines and follow the Timeline of the Corps. A replica of the rigging on USS Constitution offers a view of the Marines’ beginning role as marksmen in the rigging of the new U.S. Navy during the Revolutionary War.
Learn Marine facts and figures along the way.
Did you know that early Marines wore a strip of leather to protect their neck from sword slashes – thus the term Leatherneck?
See artifacts such as melted glass from Nagasaki. Hear stirring Sousa marches. Pop into little alcoves to view short videos on specific topics.
March into the Boot Camp exhibit for a peek into Marine basic training. (What binds Marines is that everyone has to earn the title of Marine.) And earn it they do in this most challenging of all services.
Stand on the yellow footprints just as young recruits do when they get off the bus. Step into a booth and hear the voice of a DI (Drill Instructor), rappel a tower, try some chin-ups, heft a backpack. For $5, try the rifle range simulator.
Significant Battles
Feel ready to experience combat? Step into World War II and follow the Marines in battle across the Pacific.
Be briefed for the Battle of Iwo Jima and leave to find yourself in a Higgins boat in the thick of that battle’s landing. As a surround screen imparts the sights and sounds, hear prayers and know, “We are landing on hell’s beach and we are fighting the devil himself. God help us.”
Exit to a massive wall with Marine and Navy insignia posted for each of the 6,140 deaths there and see the actual flag that was raised on Mt. Suribachi.
When WWII ended, the Cold War began, and heated up with Korea. Land on Inchon and proceed to the Chosin Reservoir where you’ll feel the freezing cold.
Walk through a helicopter, feel its vibration and the sound of its overhead rotor and step off into the heat of Vietnam for a sense of that time and place.
Other Features
Also on this first deck are the Global War on Terrorism photo exhibit and the Combat Art Gallery.
Food services are available on Deck 2 in the Mess Hall and Tun Tavern, a recreation of the traditional birthplace of the Marine Corps on Nov. 10, 1775.
Outside, inscribed bricks line winding pathways in the adjacent Semper Fidelis Memorial Park.
Here a statue of the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps – who served over 40 years and is often referred to as “the greatest of all Leathernecks” – Maj. Gen. John Lejeune stands in eternal watch over this outstanding monument dedicated to honor the service, commitment and sacrifices made by all Marines.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Christmas. Admission and parking are free.
Wheelchairs are available on request at no cost. To plan a visit, go to www.usmcmuseum.org or call 877-635-1775. To arrange school or group tours, call 703-784-6121.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps near Quantico Marine Base in Virginia takes visitors on a tour of Corps history from its creation at Tun Tavern in 1775, through major battles of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and into the present.
Ellie