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thedrifter
11-09-08, 07:16 AM
Iconic destination commemorates 231 years of service
By Susan Manlin Katzman
SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Nov. 09 2008

The Marine Corps was founded in a tavern, in Philadelphia, on Nov. 10, 1775.

Gung ho lingo includes "Ooh-rah," a Marine greeting, and "Semper Fidelis," the
Marine motto meaning "always faithful."

I learned these tidbits on a visit to the National Museum of the Marine Corps,
an architecturally stunning, brilliantly focused shrine to the Marine Corps
disguised as a museum in Quantico, Va.

"Most museums strive to be objective," said René Cárdenas, a former Army
paratrooper, "but not the Marine Corps Museum. Marines can't be impersonal.
This is a museum that has immediate emotional impact; it shouts, 'This is what
we are. We're damned proud of it. Take it or leave it.'"

And it's hard to imagine anyone leaving it, as the architecture alone, is worth
a trip. Designed by Fentress Architects, the 118,000-square-foot museum is a
masterpiece of form and function ideally suited not only to its 135-acre
Virginia location but also to the cultural attitudes of the Marines. The museum
opened in 2006.

Sandblasted for color uniformity, concrete blocks form the base of the building
and leave visitors with a sense of sleek and streamlined strength.

The exterior focal point is a 210-foot tall mast majestically rising through a
160-foot glass and stainless steel atrium, constructed at an angle to evoke the
iconic image of the World War II flag-raising at Iwo Jima.

The entrance feeds into a 20,000-square-foot rotunda where natural light pours
through 35,000 square feet of glass in the skylight. It showcases Marine
aircraft suspended overhead, quotes from famous Marines etched into the walls
and a "sea" of blue curving patterns on the terrazzo floor. Through this light,
bright centralized space, called the "Leatherneck Gallery," visitors reach the
different exhibit areas. The term "Leatherneck" came from the band of leather
early Marines wore as a collar to protect their necks from swords.

Although an additional 80,000 square feet of space is planned, it is difficult
for visitors to incorporate all of the 231 years of Marine history.

If you're on a tight schedule, here are some highlights:

— Making Marines, an exhibit that explains how raw recruits are turned into
Marines.

— The photographs of the two flags raised on Iwo Jima.

— The exhibits commemorating Marine participation in World War II, Korea and
Vietnam.

I also liked knowing that the models in the exhibits were made with the help of
Marine volunteers who had to freeze in one position, breathing through straws
in their nose, while plaster casts where taken of their face and body.

An art gallery, movie theater and the Museum Store round out the first deck.
The museum's second deck holds two food-service facilities: The Mess Hall, a
150-seat cafeteria serving continental breakfast and lunch, and Tun Tavern, a
replica of the 18th century public tavern where the Corps was founded. Tun
Tavern serves lunch, beer and wine from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

I won't say that this museum will convert anti-war pacifists, but it will
educate all to what it means to be a Marine and the significance of the Marine
Corps' values of honor, discipline, courage and sacrifice.

susankatzman@charter.net

IF YOU GO
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is next to the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Va., 36 miles south of Washington, off Interstate 95. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Christmas; admission and parking are free. Visit www.usmcmuseum.org.

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Ellie