Many of us think of Memorial Day (May 25 this year), as the start of summer vacation season. But it’s much more serious than that: It’s a time to honor people who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. armed forces.
It’s possible, however, to honor the fallen and hit the road at the same time. Military museums dot the U.S. from coast to coast. Here are just some of the places to put on your list.
National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Fla: You may have watched in wonder as the Navy’s Blue Angels zoomed overhead during the Chicago Air and Water Show, but you also can see them up close in a hangar at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. The Naval Air Station Pensacola is home to the Angels and the museum.
But that wouldn’t be the only reason to go there. Walk around a combat F-14D Tomcat jet or a rare SBD Dauntless plane from the Battle of Midway. Catch a glimpse of the Western Front in a World War I diorama. Or see the replica of the World War II USS Cabot aircraft carrier’s flight deck, and try the ship’s anti-aircraft gun battery.
Don’t miss the Cubi Bar Cafe. Way more than a place to relax while touring the museum, the cafe replicates the mid-20th Century Cubi Point Officers’ Club in the Philippines. Known for its bar lined with squadron plaques dating to the Vietnam War, the plaques in the cafe are the real ones sent to the museum when the officers’ club closed.
The museum has 350,000 square feet of exhibits and covers 37 acres.
“You will see more than flying machines,” said museum historian Hill Goodspeed. “Look beyond the machines and focus on the individuals in the cockpit. We have memorabilia, but really it’s about those who served of various ages, including those in their teens who were and are willing to fly into a dangerous situation and serve in the military to protect our freedom.” Info: http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org
Lyon Air Museum, Santa Ana, Calif.: The Lyon Air Museum, tucked in the Martin Aviation corner of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, is tiny. At a mere 30,000 square feet its planes, jeeps and memorabilia, mostly from World War II, are easy to slip into a sightseeing jaunt when visiting the Orange County Irvine area.
“Visitors who come here don’t feel rushed. They see how small we are, so they feel they can take their time to really see what’s here,” said museum president Mark Foster.
Finding the museum is a challenge on the airport’s winding back roads unless you are persistent and the GPS is working. But once there, you find a gem.
It’s not hard to find the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber used in the Pacific, a Douglas A-26 Invader light bomber or the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, named for Gen. Billy Mitchell. The museum isn’t just a good place to visit for its machines and memorabilia, it’s also the docents. Many are military retirees.
“We get letters from visitors who say they spoke to someone who served in the same squadron or area as (their) grandfather,” Foster said. “Talking with our docents is like finding old letters from a family member. You hear their stories.” Info: http://www.lyonairmuseum.org
National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg, Texas: Walking down Main Street, tourists visiting for the city’s very Western look and shops, its nearby wine region and its abundant flower and peach fields likely will be surprised to find a museum dedicated to the Pacific War and its veterans.
But Fredericksburg is where Adm. Chester Nimitz was born in 1885. A career naval officer, Nimitz was commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and of the Pacific Ocean Areas for U.S. and Allied armed forces during World War II.
The Adm. Nimitz Foundation was founded in 1971 to set up and support the museum in the former Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg. Today that museum is one of several stunning places to visit on the National Museum of the Pacific War’s six acres. Stop in the Nimitz Museum to learn of the admiral’s career and see the historic hotel.
In the 33,000-square-foot George H.W. Bush Gallery follow the battles and America’s involvement on the Pacific Front beginning with Japan’s mindset that led to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Walk outside to the Japanese Garden of Peace, a gift from the Japanese military to the U.S. in honor of Nimitz. Info: http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org
National WW2 Museum, New Orleans: When looking for a fascinating way to work off at least some of New Orleans’ famed cuisine, check out the 220,500-square-foot museum campus in the former Warehouse District, known now as the Arts District.
Opened on the 56th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2000, and affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, the building was called the D-Day Museum until Congress officially designated it America’s National World War II Museum in 2003.
As with the Lyon Air Museum, the volunteers you encounter are likely to be war veterans. You will need at least half a day to experience this museum. Its galleries and movies cover all the fronts, from the U.S. to Europe to the Pacific Islands in several pavilions and theaters.
The feeling of awe starts in the museum’s multilevel atrium, where you see a Douglas C-47 Skytrain and SBD Dauntless, a Supermarine Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109 hanging from the ceiling.
In the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, be sure to see the “Final Mission: The USS Tang Submarine Experience.” Similar to major Titanic exhibits, it assigns participants an actual name of someone on board. Learn at the end if your person was lost or captured by the Japanese.
You can see the planes from an observation deck on the third floor of the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion. This pavilion, which was the original museum, is the place to learn about Normandy and other beach landings.
Be sure to go to the new Campaigns of Courage Pavilion. Its “Road to Berlin: European Theater Galleries” opened earlier this year with fantastic dioramas such as a blown-out German bunker and the forested Battle of the Bulge in the “Breaching the German Frontier” section.
Also look for a village and other scenes as the Allied forces marched up the Italian boot. Battle sites have been re-created, with bombed-out roofs backed by the sounds of war and newsreels.
The remaining Courage pavilion project, Road to Tokyo: Pacific Theater Galleries,” opens later this year.
“It’s amazing,” said Owen Glendening, associate vice president of education and access. “It’s immersive. It’s realistic and environmental. You can believe you are there.”
Save time to see “Beyond All Boundaries,” a 45-minute 4D film in the Solomon Victory Theater narrated by its executive producer, Tom Hanks. The movie takes you from the battles to the home front using a variety of animation and sound effects. Personal accounts are read by Brad Pitt, Gary Sinise and other celebrities.
For a re-creation of USO-style entertainment — think Bob Hope or the Andrew Sisters — try to catch a show at the Stage Door Canteen. Info: http://www.nationalww2museum.org
First Division Museum, Cantigny Park, Wheaton: For those staying closer to home, a visit to Cantigny, the estate that Chicago Tribune publisher Robert R. McCormick’s will decreed as a public space after he died in 1955, is a delightful Chicago area destination. Its gardens and museums are particularly fun to browse from late spring to early fall. What Chicagoans, and indeed, out-of-town visitors are likely not to know is that Cantigny (pronounced Canteeny) is home to a terrific museum that honors the Big Red One, the nickname of the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division.
At the First Division Museum you don’t walk by the dioramas, you enter them and are fully enveloped by sight and sound as you connect from trenches and beaches to jungles and sand while going from World War I to Desert Storm. The museum plans to add a section depicting contemporary conflicts.
“It’s very powerful and compelling,” said executive director Paul Herbert, discussing the museum’s depictions.
He hopes visitors will get an appreciation for the high price paid by people who serve in the military.
“It’s not just Division One but all who serve our country,” Herbert said. “Our soldiers have paid a high price for our freedom over the years. We’re telling the story of everyone who serves to defend our democracy.” Info: http://www.cantigny.org
Jacobs is a freelance reporter.
