Feature Article of the Month, November 2006
National Museum of the Marine Corps Tour
 I
am a member of the Scientific Working Group for Firearms and
Toolmarks (SWGGUN)
and have just returned from our fall meeting. SWGGUN
is just one of the many scientific working groups sponsored
by the FBI. We meet twice a year to discuss issues
related to the discipline of Firearm and Toolmark
Identification. Our fall meeting was held in Stafford,
Virginia which sits just outside the US Marine base located
in Quantico, Virginia.
Lucky for us the new
National Museum of the Marine Corps had just been completed and opened to the
public on November 10, 2006. So, on November 15, 2006
the other SWGGUN committee members and I had the pleasure to
tour the new US Marine Corps Museum located in Quantico,
Virginia.
Unknown to us, we
actually saw the museum Monday night traveling from Reagan
National Airport in Washington, D.C. The museum is
located right next to Interstate 95 in a large
glass-enclosed structure that is brightly illuminated at
night and projects a large beam of light into the air.
As we passed the museum on Monday night the museum caught
everyone's attention. Unfortunately I didn't have my
camera handy for that awesome nighttime visual!
 The
museum features a large open atrium with numerous historic
aircraft hanging from the ceiling. In one corner a
large metal structure resembling the tower on an aircraft
carrier offers outstanding views of the museum atrium area.
Off to the side of the
atrium you go through a trip back in time to see exhibits
that depict the history, significant battles, and the men
and women of the Marine Corps.
Included in the epansive
exhibits are hundreds if not thousands of items of Marine
memorabilia. Including, of special interest to the
Firearm Examiner types (that's me and my fellow SWGGer's),
are the arms and armament used by the Marines throughout
their history. Large numbers of swords, handguns,
rifles, machineguns, artillery, tanks, and other historic
arms are on display. Oh yeah, be sure to check out the
large model of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima,
located in the Gift Shop, made totally out of Lego's!
Lucky for me and you I
did have my camera along for this trip through the fantastic
history of the Marine Corps. Below is a link that
will take you to a slide show where you will be able to see
some of what I saw at the museum. You should get a
feel for things but by no means will these images do justice
to actually being there. If you are ever in the
Washington, D.C. area take the time to travel the 45 minutes or
so south down Interstate 95 to visit the museum. Admission
is free and you will not be disappointed! Also, take
time to visit the official website of the museum via the
link provided below.
(maximize window that opens to see
the images in a larger format)
National Museum
of the
Marine Corps Website
Scott Doyle
www.FirearmsID.com
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