my trip to the national infantry museum

I had a great birthday trip to the National Infantry Museum yesterday. Huge place right outside of Ft. Bennings, GA, built just last year.

 

The entrance to the museum was a super-detailed, 100-yard walk up a gradually elevating ramp. It was called "The Last 100 Yards", signifying the last 100 yards that infantry take on foot to win every battle. Along both sides of the walk there were action displays with mannequins, going from the Revolutionary War to Iraq. Each scene told a specific story of bravery during the history of the US infantry.

 

The exhibits in the museum cover WW1 up to present day Iraq (The Rev. and Civil Wars will be installed when the museum can get 6 million dollars together, as one guide told us).

 

The exhibits themselves were stupendous. They had donated authentic guns, uniforms, and equipment/vehicle displays. Of note was Göring's baton, this huge baton, given to him by Hitler. The baton was studded with gold and silver and diamonds. It had black crosses and eagles all along it. It looked insane. There were 2 in total, the picture is one of them.

 

All along the exhibits there was interactive stuff. Projected displays, recordings from veterans, etc. I heard an interesting account from a man about being the first man back on the Japanese islands after the end of WW2. A great story about being stuck in an airplane, defending another man who was installing US radar just south of Tokyo. He said a large group of Japanese soldiers showed up, announced they would be sleeping under the plane he was in. Very interesting story.

 

There was another story about a guy defeating three Chinese soldiers during the Korean war. He had no ammo so he ended up smashing and breaking the BAR (a huge rifle) over the head of one of the Chinese.

 

I saw tons of guns. Huge ones from all ages. There was this huge one called a wall gun, something of a desperate last resort gun to use against a large group of infantry. It had a barrel length of 50+ inches and a bore of 1-inch! The guns were from both sides, showing both what the infantry uses and what they fought against.

 

Vehicles were cool, too. A U.S. Jeep, a Vietnam helicopter with a minigun, a donated authentic M2 Bradley transport vehicle that hit an IED.

 

Really, display-wise there is too much stuff to mention. It's free to get in, as well. The only thing that costs money are the interactive parts, like the virtual M-16 range. It only costs $5 per person, though, so it's not price prohibitive.

 

The virtual M-16 shooting range is the same as the military uses, the EST-2000. I went in with my friend and my dad. You can stand or go on one knee, depending on which lane you stand at. You face a virtual screen, representing a field. Targets are standard black, humanoid-shaped boxes (Although as a joke at the end you shoot a sedan and a large van). The targets appear very close, further back, VERY far back, and can be standing, crouching (only the head shown), or moving across the shooting range.

 

The guns themselves are authentic M-16s, with real materials and accurate weight, recoil, and noise. Everything works, including the safety, the loading clip and the charging handle. You are expected to load the clip yourself, switch the safety off, and look down the iron sights while taking aim.

 

(I should mention that while waiting to shoot, I saw a girl in JROTC holding the gun like a bazooka, and she accidentally shot a round off during the acclimatization phase. Scary!)

 

Then the targets appear. You get about 1-2 minutes to shoot. The targets appear at intervals, and you have 20 total targets, with 30 shots total. If you waste your ammo, you're done and have to relinquish your weapon. During the shooting, I took my time, aimed well and shot calmly.

 

At the end of the shooting, the results display on the screen. The proctor announced I got 18 out of 20 shots, meaning I was excellent and would be allowed to do live field training, were I in the army. My friend got 13/20, and my dad got 18/20 and used fewer shots than I did. Apparently skill runs in the family.

 

I got my results printed and was immediately approached by this short, bald guy. He said he was from Ft. Benning and began to inform me that this simulation is really an idealized course. I knew it was and told him I was aware of it. He then said I should join up with the infantry. He was very serious about this, poking me readily. He said that I did well here and would do well there. I thanked him and said I had to see the rest of the museum.

 

Later on, downstairs, the guy finds me again(!) and starts to grill me on the prospects I could get by joining. He said the military always needs more bullet catchers, and that I should join. He implored that I had to be a grunt, and not a "Pogue", POG (Person Other than Grunt), because they're worthless. He said I could rise from E1 to E7 in just five years, and then explained what that meant when I admitted I had no idea what the traditional ranks were.

 

I politely declined and said I had too smart a mouth. He said they fixed him of that when he joined up. I again declined and got back with my dad and friend. My dad said this guy had a few screws loose, and I wondered if this guy was a plant from the nearby base, looking for more recruits. I didn't know, but joining the military isn't in my future, regardless. Flattering, yes, but a bit creepy.

 

Also at the museum is a full restaurant, which we avoided. There is also an IMAX theater, where I saw the new Hubble 3-D movie. That was a very cool film and the 3-D was the most impressive I've seen yet.

 

The gift shop at the store is really for people who have military in the family. It's full of pro-military shirts, pins, jewelery, and other things. It wasn't that great in my opinion, but I did get a cool poster with WW2 tanks from all sides. I also got a bumper sticker that said "Sniper" and put it on the back of my mom's Prius when I visited her today, next to her peace sign sticker. Pissed her off!

 

There's also an outdoor area that recreated a complete WW2 barrack for the Second Armored Division, including General Patton's quarters. Even had 2 tanks, one of which was a Sherman.

 

Overall the museum is a very, very cool place. There were a few points of standard military justification for some acts that kind of pissed me off, but I enjoyed the sheer detail and materials present too much to be bothered. I wish I had more time to read every display there, as there was so much to take-in. Multiple visits would probably happen if it wasn't 2 hours away.