Triangle, Va. – Less than four years after opening, the National Museum of the Marine Corps proudly welcomed its two millionth visitor yesterday, August 18. Gloria Campbell of Manassas, Va. and her two grandsons, seven-year-old Norman and five-year-old Nizar, entered the Museum shortly after 2 p.m. and were greeted by the Museum’s Deputy Director Charlie Grow and Visitor Services Chief Patrick Mooney, who informed them of the milestone they helped the Museum achieve. Yesterday marked the Campbell family’s first trip to the Museum.
“Every Wednesday, I take my grandsons on field trips around the area. Today, we decided to come to the National Museum of the Marine Corps. I love history and thought they’d enjoy this museum,” said Campbell, who’s a retired Fairfax County, Va. public school system administrator. After her family’s visit, which included their own private tour granted by the Museum, Campbell reflected, “seeing American history come alive through the eyes of the Marines was such a wonderful learning experience for us. Our tour was so enlightening. The whole day was very special, and we will most definitely return in the future.”
The Campbell family received a commemorative certificate and gift basket, as well as a memorial brick for Semper Fidelis Memorial Park, courtesy of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, which will be engraved and installed in their honor. In addition to their private tour of the Museum, they also enjoyed lunch in Tun Tavern.
The Campbell family’s visit marks a significant milestone for Museum attendance, the rate of which has been consistently ahead of projections since the Museum opened. This summer the Museum has been receiving an average of 2,000 visitors per day, which is significantly higher than the 1,500 daily visitors it greets on average throughout the year.
The June opening of three new galleries covering Marine Corps history from the Revolutionary War through World War I may account for some of the high numbers of summer visitors. The galleries bring more than 12,000 square feet of additional exhibit space to the Museum and feature 250 new artifacts including an extensive collection of early Marine Corps uniforms, weaponry and artillery including the first American armored car and the first Marine Corps aircraft.
The Museum’s consistent array of enriching and entertaining programs including Family Days, the Summer Concert Series featuring the Quantico Marine Corps Band, and book signings and lectures are popular among Marines and civilians alike, and all give good reason to continue returning. The rich and compelling manner in which the Museum depicts America’s history as seen through the eyes of Marines since the founding of the Marine Corps in 1775 has led to its increased awareness among all interested in learning about and celebrating America’s elite fighting force.
“We are delighted by this milestone. Since its opening, the Museum has been an important destination for all wishing to learn about and celebrate Marine Corps history and lore,” said Lin Ezell, director of the National Museum of the Marine Corps. “We welcomed our one millionth visitor less than 22 months after opening and have now greeted our two millionth visitor less than two years later. The Museum has become part of the fabric of our community, with local visitors returning multiple times and often bringing out of town visitors with them.”
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is located at 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway in Triangle, Va. The Museum, which opened November 10, 2006, brings to life the U.S. Marine Corps’ rich history and honors the commitment, accomplishments, and sacrifices of all Marines. It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day except Christmas. Parking and admission are free.
National Museum Of The Marine Corps Welcomes Two Millionth Visitor
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Weigh In On The Issues
Recent Blog Posts
Feb. 7, 2012:
A few days ago my beloved New England Patriots were defeated in Super Bowl XLVI. While disappointing in its own right, it did get me thinking of maneuver warfare and Carl Von Clausewitz of all people. There are certainly no shortage of analogies between football and warfare – such as speed, maneuver, and timing – but as I lay awake that night, I thought of something else. Rather, I thought of chance, luck, and fundamentals. I thought that if such things could derail a professional football team that doles out millions of dollars to win games, why couldn’t such things happen to Marines in the much more serious environment of combat?
Jan. 30, 2012:
LtGen Hejlik, the Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, maintains a blog that I always enjoy reading. In his latest post, he talks about leadership, and specifically some key leadership tenets from LtGen John Sattler, who retired from the Marine Corps in 2008, after 37 years of service.
LtGen Sattler's leadership nuggets are very good, and we've all heard them, or some variation of them, before (develop and issue clear intent; praise in public, punish in private; etc.). Reading them got me thinking about leadership, and how it's truly been the most common and profound theme pervading my ten years of service with the Marine Corps (in both active duty and civilian capacities).
Jan. 25, 2011:
Most of us answered our nation's call after September 11, 2001. While many went out and bought yellow ribbons to put on their bumpers, only a few went down to an office and jumped on a red pull-up bar before being sent to a foundry in San Diego, Parris Island, or Quantico. Those who had already been forged and tempered over time mustered years of experience and military professional reading in order to impart their wisdom and leadership on the new. Less than 1% of the U.S. population actively serve in the armed forces, and an even tinier fraction in our beloved Corps. (pause for dramatic effect...)
I make no apologies for being biased in my opinion that even though we represent a small fraction of Americans, we as Marines have proven ourselves as the preeminent schoolhouse for leadership and management training, especially when the stakes are high.
Jan. 22, 2012:
This week, representatives from Headquarters Marine Corps, Marine Corps Systems Command, Marine Corps Logistics Command and the operating forces will gather in Albany, GA, to develop a depot-maintenance plan for all of the Marine Corps' ground equipment (to include the equipment being retrograded back to the U.S. from Afghanistan for reset). The plan that's developed will ultimately become the Marine Corps' overall depot-maintenance requirement for the budget years across the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP). Developing the plan is an immense effort that's chock-full of complexities and unique planning considerations. The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps issued guidance to the major stakeholders earlier this month, and he'll actually be in attendance for part of the week-long proceedings. That's how important an effort this is to the Marine Corps.
Jan. 21, 2012:
Thom Shanker from the NYT reports this morning about Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's decision to take the F-35B Lightning II off of probation. The B variant is a short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) jet capable of taking off from short landing strips or the deck of an amphibious ship (as opposed to a catapult-assisted launch and an arrested landing on a full-sized carrier). The Marine Corps' story is that STOVL is needed for (a) use in amphibious scenarios and (b) expeditionary scenarios where landing sites are limited. Shanker alludes to this in discussing "the importance to the Marine Corps of coming up with a replacement for its Harrier jump-jet, which has proved its value in countering insurgencies and terrorists in rugged, remote areas."
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This Month In History
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