With the closing of Largo’s Armed Forces History Museum quickly approaching (January 29, 2017!!), Nisheet and I decided we must check it out immediately. Months ago our neighbor asked us if we had been. We hadn’t. It was a tiny little museum in a warehouse off a side street. It couldn’t possibly be worthwhile. She insisted we go, so we put it on our to-do-list. And there it sat for months. Then, remembering that it was closing at the end of January, we realized that this was our last chance and we had better go. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic, and I encourage everyone who can visit before it closes this Sunday to check it out. Please pass the word. You really don’t want to miss out.
The Armed Forces History Museum was founded by the late John J. Piazza, Sr. who collected military memorabilia for over 50 years and eventually opened a museum in 2008. He wanted to preserve the history and memories of our military and educate everyone on what it has taken to protect our freedom. Unfortunately, the museum was never profitable and has been losing money since day 1. Most likely this is due to the poor location (it isn’t visible from a main road) and lack of interest by a tourist who is only thinking of the beach.
But, this Armed Forces History Museum is one of the best military museums I’ve been to, and I’ve been to quite a few. (You might not know this about me, but I can’t get enough of WWII history… books, museums, everything!) The museum contains so many real artifacts that my mind was blown. And, the exhibits did a great job of pulling you right into the history without being dry or boring in the least.
Okay. Enough rambling. You know I like it. Let’s get to it.
The Armed Forces History Museum
Salute to Service
The first exhibit in the museum is the Salute to Service which has dress uniforms from all of the military branches. I thought it was fascinating to see all the dress uniforms and service decorations. And, I learned a lot too. For instance, I didn’t know the bars on the sleeves represented service time overseas. If you pay attention to detail, you will see a lot more than just uniforms. The walls are decorated with WWII posters, all sorts of hats and headgear, swords, and challenge coins.
Fun story on challenge coins. Challenge coins are medallions that bear the organization’s emblem and are carried by the members. To make a challenge, you slap the coin on a table, and everyone else must immediately produce their coin. If someone doesn’t produce his (her) coin, he has to buy everyone else a round a drinks. If everyone has their coin, the challenger has to buy a round of drinks for everybody.
Firearms and Ordnance
The next exhibit has firearms, mines, and grenades. This was probably my least favorite exhibit because I’m just not that into old weapons. However, the teenage boys wandering through at the same time seemed to be very enthusiastic about this area. They couldn’t get enough of the old guns and bombs.
WWI Trench Exhibit
After the firearms exhibit, you pass through double doors and get to the fun part of the museum. The first 2 exhibits showcase a lot of artifacts in display cases, but the rest of the museum was created to transport you back in time to the different wars. First up was World War I.
The exhibit itself was built to look like an actual trench. It was dark, there was smoke, and there were even gunfire sound effects. The walls of the trench contained artifacts from WWI, history, and stories. My favorite part was the details in the underground radio control bunker. In order to make it look as realistic as possible, a giant (fake, hopefully) spider was placed on the cot.
World War II Pearl Harbor Exhibit
As you exit WWI, you enter WWII. More specifically, the first room is dedicated to Pearl Harbor. Get ready to have your mind blown. The center of the room has Japanese ship models, the right side has a partial replica of a Japanese aircraft carrier, the left side has a replica of a Japanese lookout post, and the far side of the room has a projection screen showing real footage of the Pearl Harbor bombing. If that wasn’t enough to overwhelm your brain, there are also several display cases showing real Japanese artifacts and uniforms.
World War II US Navy Exhibit
As you walk into the Navy Exhibit, the first thing you will notice is the DUKW. I found this particularly interesting because I’ve been on so many DUCK rides (Boston, Seattle, etc.) where they transform these amphibious vehicles into a tourist bus. So, it was cool to see it in the original state. The exhibit also contains two huge Mark IV torpedoes and a functional periscope that you can test out and see the outside of the building.
Interesting (but horrifying) tidbit. One of the worst shark attacks in history happened when the Japanese sunk the USS Indianapolis. There were 1,196 men aboard, and 900 of them made it into the water alive. For days, sharks fed on the men. Only 317 men survived. Of course, no one knows for sure how many actually died from shark attacks, but it was a lot.
World War II D-Day Landing & French Village Exhibit
As you walk into the D-Day Landing and French Village exhibit, you will first encounter a recreation of one of the beaches with soldiers running on shore. In the background, you can hear guns being fired and Colonel Leonard T. Schroeder (the first soldier on Utah Beach) recounting his experience. Past the beach, the museum leads you down the streets of a war-torn French Village where you can hear the French welcoming the soldiers. My grandfather was part of the Normandy invasion, so this exhibit was especially touching to me.
WWII German Village & Holocaust Exhibit
Next, you pass through a German village with German weapons and uniforms. One of the display cases even has an infant gas protector which pulls at your heart strings and makes you think of all the babies and children who suffered. To enter the Holocaust area, you have to walk through the gates that read “Arbeit Macht Frie (Work Will Set You Free)” just as I did when visiting the Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich. I’m not going to lie. It was kind of creepy/eerie walking through that gate. I felt like I was back in Germany. But, I think that goes to show how well the museum is set up. Inside the Holocaust area, you can look at the prison and guard uniforms, gas canisters, and some items that the prisoners made. Everything is 100% authentic and nothing is a replica.
World War II Communications Room
Across from the Holocaust Exhibit is the WWII Communications room which shows a man sending out messages. Seeing the equipment was pretty cool, but what I liked most was seeing the old MREs in the display case. (I’m not sure why these were in the communications room. Maybe I missed something). They had all sorts of them. Vegetarian, dinner, breakfast, etc. Have you ever tried them? I have. When I was little, the preacher at my church was in the National Gaurd and would bring back an MRE for all the kids. Perhaps it was because I was a kid, but I thought they weren’t bad at all. In fact, some of them were even tasty!
Korean War Exhibit
The Korean War Exhibits contains a few different dioramas including a field hospital MASH unit, Rose’s Bar, and the Frozen Chosin. Evidently, Rose’s Bar was made famous during the TV show MASH, but I had never heard of it before. So, for those of you who don’t know, it was a popular bar in Korea where the soldiers could escape the war for a brief moment and relax. I also had never heard of the Frozen Chosin. (I guess my Korean War knowledge is extremely limited…) Trying to escape from Chinese soldiers, US Marines followed a main supply route through the mountains in one of the coldest Korean winters. Hot meals would freeze before they could sit down to eat it, and engines had to remain on because they couldn’t be restarted. And, then, to make things worse, the Chinese launched a surprise attack.
Vietnam War Exhibit
At the very end of the museum is the Vietnam War Exhibit. I thought this was especially cool because they recreated park of the Ho Chi Minh Trail that you could walk though. The only thing missing was the heat and humidity! Well… that and the actual war.
To sum it all up, the Armed Forces History Museum was highly educational for us and left us feeling very knowledgeable. All the authentic artifacts, dioramas, and displays were spot on and totally immersive. We are truly sad to be losing such a great museum. I really hope that a new owner buys the museum and keeps it running for generations to come.
