Parris Island, SC

 

  We spent Monday at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island. The island is open to the public and it is free. There is a Marine Corps museum that traces the history of the Corps from its founding on November 10, 1775 to the present day.

 

 

The museum is impressive and it took us a few hours to go through it. Upon entrance the visitor enters a rotunda with a miniature version of the Iwo Jima monument.

The circumference of the rotunda depicts the first settlements of the Spanish on the island and surrounding area. Parris Island, Port Royal,  and Beaufort harbor were actually the northern extent of Spanish Florida in the 1500's. Through the years is has been pivotal during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The exhibit takes you to the early part of the 20'th century when the U.S. Navy built dry docks on Parris Island, a brig, and an airfield. The complex was eventually turned over to the Marine Corps in time for U.S. involvement in WW1 at which time it was being used for recruit training. This was a critical time for the Corps because many wanted the Corps absorbed by the navy.

  Anyway the exhibits were informative and there was a display for every action the Marines have been involved in. I found all the weapons and uniforms used by the Marines through the years fascinating.

 

This is a Maxim machine gun which is actually a German weapon. I suppose they used captured guns and it is the same gun held by Iron Mike, the famous statue on the base. Iron Mike was dedicated in 1924 to all the marines who gave their life for their country:

 

After going through the museum we went on the Iron Mike driving history tour. You follow signs around the island and can read about the points of interest in a pamphlet. There is a golf course, RV park, boat launch, history and nature trails and monuments along the tour. The tour ends at the most famous landmark associated with the Marine Corps. This is of course the Iwo Jima Monument. It was sculpted in the likeness of the Pulitzer Prize winning photo taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal:

 

This sculpture actually predates the one outside Arlington National Cemetery and was used to raise money for the bronze version there. It commemorates the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima after a one month battle in which over 6,000 marines were killed in action.  Iwo Jima saw the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to more men than any battle in history; 27 total of which 22 were marines.

 

 

It was a good day and it made you proud to be American. To quote President Eisenhower: "Uncommon valor was a common virtue."