Malachi tours the Marine Corps museum, learns about sacrifice, training to defend the nation

QUANTICO — Marines travel from all over the world to experience it.

On Wednesday, it was 12-year-old Malachi’s first trip to the National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico.

During his first exposure to the Marine Corps, he was surprised to learn that the planes hanging from the glass and steel ceiling in the museum’s leatherneck gallery, in fact, were real and were used in the theater of war. He was also taken by the number of firearms on display throughout the museum.

“Wow, there are a lot of guns,” said Malachi.

“You need a lot of guns to win wars,” said National Museum of the Marine Corps spokeswoman Gwenn Adams, who is also a Marine.

As he is the Potomac Local Student Reporter as part of the “Real Big Kid” event at the Martin K. Alloy Boys and Girls Club in Manassas, the Mayfield Intermediate School student interviewed Adams about her time helping to collect artifacts for the museum and conducting tours, and about her time in the Marine Corps.

“I come from a family that all served. My father was in the Marines, and when it was my turn, I wanted to join the best,” said Adams.

You can donate to Prince William/Greater Manassas Boys and Girls Club “Real Big Kid” event. To support this worthwhile effort, select #6 Potomac Local publisher Uriah Kiser. 

Malachi asked Adams six questions on topics ranging from enlisting in the Marines to her boot camp experience at Parris Island, S.C.

“I think being away from home was the hardest part,” said Adams.

She then gave Malachi and his father, Darrin a tour of the museum where Malachi was able to hear what it is like for new recruits arriving at boot camp, each being yelled at by drill instructors to fall in line.

“That’s really loud,” said Malachi.

Adams’ tour took the student through the formation of the Marine Corps through WWII. Malachi saw a flag that was raised over Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean during WWII, and an iconic photograph of the flag raising taken by Joe Rosenthal. He immediately saw the resemblance, that the museum building he was standing in was fashioned after the photo.

Originally opened in 2006, the 115,000 square foot final phase of the building was completed in 2017 with the addition of a combat art gallery and studio, and children’s gallery, and a giant screen movie theater.

This year, the museum expects to open a new attraction called “Legacy Walk,” while new galleries featuring the Marine Corps from 1976 to today will open next year.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps is located at 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway in Triangle. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Christmas.