Virginia - National Museum of the Marine Corps
Entrance of the Museum
General Info
Address: 1775 Semper Fidelis Wy, Triangle, VA 22172
Phone: (703)432-1775
Hours: 9am-5pm Everyday
Website: https://www.usmcmuseum.com/
Located just an hour from Baltimore and just next to Quantico, Virginia, the National Museum of the Marine Corps is a must visit for any Marine and any branch in general. Opened on November 10, 2006 (November 10th is the Marine Corps Birthday), the museum holds a huge collection of artifacts from the history of the Marine Corps from their first establishment in a bar all the way to today.
2nd Flag flown over Iwo Jima
One of the most important artifact in the exhibit is the actual second flag that was raised on Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima which is probably one of the most famous picture in Marine Corps history. In fact, the shape of the museum was designed to represent that iconic image that then Secretary of Navy James Forrestal state “The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years.”
F4U Corsair hanging above
Being a Marine veteran, I had to come visit the museum, especially since it was only an hour away from Baltimore while I was there. The museum makes a great trip for a family since admission is free. When you first enter, you walk underneath the glass roof of the building and some of the aviation models are hung. From there, you can start on the left where the history starts from the very beginning.
The museum has 9 galleries as of now, with the final phases slowly opening up (1975-today). There is also the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park which sits in at around 23 acres of the 135 acre site. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to walk through it, as it was an extremely hot day and we had a child with us. There is also two places to grab a bite to eat if you get hungry.
Each symbol represents the lives lost on Iwo Jima with a picture of Iwo Jima imposed
I spent around 2.5 hours in the museum and was able to see everything, but not as detailed as some would like. I would plan 2-4 hours, with 4 hours being able to read and admire stuff at a slower pace. This place definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite museums, but that may be a personal bias.
