National Museum of the Marine Corps
The National Museum of the Marine Corps
A Monument to Honor, Courage and Commitment…
The National Museum of the Marine Corps
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC NOVEMBER 13th, 2006!
Open Daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Closed Christmas Day)
Currently under construction and scheduled to open in November 2006, the National Museum of the Marine Corps will be a lasting tribute to U.S. Marines — past, present and future. Situated on a 135-acre site adjacent to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, the museum’s soaring design evokes the image of the flag raisers of Iwo Jima and beckons visitors to its 100,000 square foot structure. World-class, interactive exhibits using the most innovative technology will surround visitors with irreplaceable artifacts and immerse them in the sights and sounds of Marines in action.
Technorati Tags: Marine Corps, Quantico
I was able to attend the National Museum of the Marine Corps dedication ceremony. It was pretty amazing! Here’s my blog for the day….
November 10
Semper Fi
Wow!
Today is the 231st birthday of the Marine Corps. For Marines this is a very impotant day. For me it included a lot of historical data and meeting some facinating people.
Mark received an invitation to attend the dedication ceremony of the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Not just any invite either. He scored a VIP invitation because of his work with the museum and the Historical Team while in Iraq and when he returned home. We had great seats in the front section of the ceremony. The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen Hagee, spoke along with President Bush and Gen Pace, Chairman Joint Cheifs of Staff. Yes, we were hob nobbing with the top brass of Mark’s beloved Marine Corps.
Mark found Col Acosta who was the Officer in Charge of the 6th CAG Historical Team. We heard that LtCol Decker was in the crowd as well. Unfortunately we did not find him. LtCol Decker was Mark’s section commander on the Historical Team.
Following the dedication ceremony we were able to walk through the museum. I wasn’t sure how well I would handle this, or Mark for that matter. Mark still has some trouble dealing with large crowds. He told me not to worry, he would be surrounded by Marines. He’s very comfortable with that. I wasn’t sure I was ready to see all there was to see about Iraq. I’ve seen Mark’s photos and heard about his time in Iraq. However, it is just not the same as seeing life size models. The museum hasn’t quite finished the section on the current opporations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently this section of the museum has wonderful photos and facts adorning the walls. If I didn’t know that there was going to be more to this portion, I would have never been able to tell. The curators of the museum did a great job on the entire museum. I am looking forward to spending more time in the museum when my family comes out for Christmas.
On our way home tonight, after we stopped for dinner and drinks with a close friend, I pulled into the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima memorial). We do this every so often. It’s only a few miles from home for us. I love the view of DC from the hill it sits on. But ultimately this is Mark’s favorite memorial in our area. With today being the Marine Corps birthday, I wanted to take Mark there as our last stop for the day.
This ended up being the most humbleing experience I have ever witnessed. We walked into 172 8th grade students on a class trip from Ohio. With Mark being in his dress blues, he immediately saluted the flag when he stepped into the memorial area. Two students then walked up to Mark and thanked him for his service and shook his hand. As we walked around the memorial students continued to stop him and thank him. A few of the kids even asked if he wouldn’t mind taking a picture with them. As if this wasn’t enough, the tour group leaders asked Mark if he would join the group for a little while. These wonderful women then explained to the kids what the service of the past and present military branches actually meant to them and their every day lives. This entire group was in four tour buses. Each bus had a veteran driving the kids all over DC. These women took time on the last day of their trip to signify each man’s service to our country. I was honored. I am always proud of my boyfriend and what he does for me to keep me safe at home and when he is serving my country. But never have I been so overwhelmed by the amount of support to our military as I was tonight. Especially with us not being on a base at the time. Every single one of those kids stood in line to shake Mark’s hand as well as the bus drivers and personally thank each one of them for thier service. I know I take it for granted what the men and women in our military do for each and every one of us because I have a Marine at home. I truly enjoyed being reminded of this tonight by all of those kids.
I want to thank every single person who has and is still protecting all of the freedoms I enjoy.
Happy Birthday and Semper Fi sweetheart. I love you.