Williamsburg Chapter Visits Marine Corps Museum

​In late June three carloads of Williamsburg Chapter members traveled to Quantico to visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  They were guided on a three-hour tour through the Museum by retired Marines serving as docents.  Another Chapter trip to the Museum is planned for later in the summer or fall to just wander through the displays.
 
The huge museum opened to visitors 12 years ago, funded by donations from corporate America, active/former/or retired Marines and friends of the Corps.  There is no admission fee.  It is operated by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation which also promotes a number of award programs recognizing education, leadership, and history.  In its first decade it welcomed 5 million visitors, including more than 350,000 school children.
 
The museum tells the story of the Marines from their beginning at Philadelphia in 1775 to the present day through displays of artifacts that include jet and helicopter aircraft suspended above historical era representations of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish War, the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.  A final construction project is devoted to additional World War I exhibits and recent conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait.  It is scheduled for completion in 2019.
 
Submitted by:  Harley Stewart