Places of Interest

[chrisswim]

Frances Taven, NYC. General George Washington final dinner with his command after the AWI.
Had lunch with my son-in-law after World Trade Center Tour.

[MechCommander]

my hometown of Grande Prairie just played host to its first Air show in 18 years back in July. alot of vintage aircraft was present there. and a weapons display setup by the 49th Edmonton Regiment.

[redleg]

I visited a local place this weekend – the March Field Museum. It’s only about 20 minutes from home and I have been there many times in the past, but it has been quite a while since my last visit. This time I took my daughter, and we spent a couple hours on site. There have been a lot of changes over the past few years. If you are ever in the Inland Empire (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) I recommend you pay it a visit.

March Air Force Base was a bustling SAC base back in the day, but today it is March Air Reserve Base and it is just a small corner of the footprint. Nowadays they have a squadron each of C-17s and KC-135s, plus 4 F-16s on alert duty. The commissary is still open though and that’s where I do my grocery shopping!

The March Field Museum is adjacent to the March ARB runway, visible from I-215. The SR-71 has been moved inside, along with a few aircraft and a bunch of exhibits on uniforms and aviation history. I introduced my daughter to the Ma Deuce inside!




Most of the aircraft are outside, and there is an observation tower where you can get a bird’s eye view.










On the south side, there is a Vietnam exhibit, and there are also some ground vehicles in that area.










There are also some aircraft and vehicles in various stages of restoration that you can look at.


They have some Russian stuff.




And also something for my Canadian Friends!


They have a couple big boys there as well. The KC-10 and C-141 are cool, but the B-52 was my kid’s favorite!




And last but not least, there is the War Dog Memorial.

[MechCommander]

And also something for my Canadian Friends!


And RCAF Flying Boxcar cool! This makes me want to Visit the Reynolds Museum in Wetaskiwin, they have some Cool stuff over there too like a CF-104 CF-101. Even a John Deere Tractor that was Modified with Legs.

[Hoth_902]

That looks like a great time. If I am ever down that way, I need to check that out. Thanks for sharing.

[chrisswim]

Nice display and set up that you got to visit Mike.
How much did you have to pay the model to fire the m.g.? Then pose with the Hummv?
I liked the barracks, the two staff cars under cover, the F-4s,etc.
Thank you for posting.

[redleg]

I spent the night in LA last night, dropping the wife off at LAX for a flight early this morning, and we had dinner at a cool place called Proud Bird. It’s right next to LAX, and it’s part restaurant and part museum. The food is decent but not great, and the museum aspect is nice, but not spectacular. But the fact that you can get some food, a cold brew, and look at some classic fighters at the same time is pretty cool. There is outside seating near a variety of aircraft, and the inside seating is in front of windows that look out onto the LAX runway.

If you ever find yourself at LAX looking for a close place to eat, give it a shot!

https://www.theproudbird.com/

[redleg]

I had a chance to visit Fort Sill, Oklahoma this past week and wanted to share some pics from the FA museum. If you are ever in southern Oklahoma, I recommend stopping by. You can get a visitor’s pass to get on to the post, and you won’t be disappointed.

I haven’t been to Sill in 20 years, and a lot has changed. The Air Defense Artillery now calls Fort Sill home (it’s now the “Fires Center of Excellence”), and that has diluted the overall artilleryness of the post a little bit. There is an ADA museum on post as well, but it’s not open to the public. The Field Artillery museum is not only open to the public, but it is in a new, larger building with many new exhibits.



The Exhibits cover American artillery from the Revolution to the present day. Lots of cool displays and historical objects, including the caisson that carried FDR’s casket.











The only downside to me was the back corner that housed the modern artillery gear. There was just too much stuff in a small space. There was an M109A6, M270, M777, M577 FDC, BFIST, Q36 with shelter, and a Q37 with shelter The hatches were open so you could peek inside, but most of it was jammed so close together that you couldn’t walk around them. Still cool to look at though.







And outside is Artillery Park. There are guns, howitzers, and missiles from around the world, dating back to World War 1. The west end of the park has been expanded since my last visit, and there are now more modern artillery systems on display. They have an M981 FIST-V on display, which makes me feel terribly old to know that the vehicle I spent so much time in is now a museum piece! But the highlight for me was the crusader. The Crusader was at one point supposed to be the next generation howitzer with tons of automation and a revolutionary liquid propellant system. It was cancelled in the early 2000s. I didn’t know any prototypes existed and seeing it in person was pretty cool. What a beast! I need to find an stl file because JTF-P needs a battalion of them! LOL











A Scorpion for PG:


A beautiful FIST-V:


A monster Crusader:


The Field Artillery museum is a must see. There is also a Fort Sill museum on post, but it is a dud. The post dates back to the 1860s and has a lot of history. There are a lot of old stone buildings that are well over 100 years old, but the museum itself is limited to one room with some photos and a model of the original post. I recommend you skip the museum and just go look at the original buildings. This was the cavalry stable, which until recently held the horses for the famous half-section demonstration team, which was axed when the Army disbanded horse mounted ceremonial units.

[redleg]

After Fort Sill, I had a full day in Oklahoma City. I love OKC! Last time I was here I visited the 45th Infantry Division museum and it was awesome! I intended to visit again this time. The good news is that the museum is now the 45th ID and Oklahoma National Guard Museum, and it is in a huge new building with even more displays and equipment. The bad news is that it hasn’t opened yet. Somebody please check it out when it opens and post a review!

As a consolation prize, I went to Tinker AFB to the airpark to check out some cool aircraft. There is no indoor museum, just the Charles B Hall Airpark, located outside of the base right next to the visitor center. You don’t need a pass to visit, and there is a bathroom at the park. There are about a dozen aircraft on display, but a few that I have never seen in person, including an RB-47 (recon version of B-47), a C-135 transport, and a B-1B bomber.

[redleg]

If you guys visit any place that might be of interest to the group, please post some pics and info! Museums, battlefields, hobby shops, etc. This thread is for everyone to share!

[pmskaar]

Thanks Redleg! I might have something in a bit.

[Cav Dog]

My wife and I went on a Rhine river cruise over new years which left from Cologne. The hotel we stayed in was around the corner from the famous Pershing Panther dual described in Spearhead.



This is the Dom Platz in front of the Cathedral. The fight took place in the intersection about 300 yards to the left. No real evidence of it remains that I could find.

After the cruise, we spent a day. and a half in Bastogne. The weather was similar to the way it was during most of the battle, cold, snowy, and below freezing. The first day was the worst so we spent the afternoon in the 101st Airborne Museum. I really didn't take many pictures inside because either was pretty crowded. The next day we drove the historic loop which takes you to most of the significant sites from the battle.



A couple of select pix:



Sherman in the Bastogne central square Place General McAuliffe.



German cemetery Recogne



Sherman Turret Assenois - there are lots of these turrets around as memorials and site markers. I guess they had plenty to go around.



Another turret, this one at Longchamps.





Some shots along the way. It was not exactly tourist weather as my wife reminded me several times. At many stops, she stayed the car...

She was a trooper to play along though. She says I still owe her a jewelry store trip after that ordeal.

[panzergator]

It wasn't exactly tourist weather in December of '44, either, so you got really goid pics. I've been in that area in better weather several times. Thanks for the revisit. My wife always enjoyed going. She was asked to lower the flag at the Malmedy memorial site one evening. It's a lonely little intersection with a farmhouse and the guy who lives there raises and lowers an American flag every day. At least he did in the '80s and '90s.

[redleg]

Looks like an awesome trip, Cav Dog! Great pics - thanks for sharing. That is definitely on the bucket list now!

[panzergator]

If you plan a trip to the Bastogne area PLEASE know there is MUCH to see besides Bastogne. ENSURE you read A Time for Trumpets BEFORE you go, get a map, and make a driving plan. INCLUDE CLAIRVAUX! (Clervaux). It was HQ of 110th Infantry Regiment. It has a most interesting approach from the Our River, down a long valley. The monastery there was the home base of the Knight Templar. There is a castle in the middle of town and a very nice memorial to US soldiers in the town plaza. Find the headquarters on 106th Infantry Division in St. Vith and the Malmedy memorial. There are memorials and monuments throughout the region to US units and soldiers, quite often sponsored, paid for, and maintained by the locals. There is one particularly touching memorial to a US lieutenant who waged a one-man war after his unit was overrun for a number of days, but was found dead in the middle of the road surrounded by dead Germans. It's described by MacDonald in A Time for Trumpets. I went with a friend to see it when we toured the area. Ask ANYBODY in the village for directions and they can tell you, English I speaker or not. No, no more details. READ THE BOOK! There is also a King Tiger to be seen in the village where it was disabled. Again, read the book. The area is very beautiful, particularly in Spring and Fall.