Semper Fidelis Memorial Park
May 12th 2006RavenMarine Corps & Raven
Some friends and I got together a few months back and pooled our money…for three bricks. We each have a person in our lives who deserves to be honored this way. It may look like a lot of money, but it’s for a great cause and I will be visiting the museum once it opens in November.
Marines can now cement their place in Marine Corps History.
When the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va., opens in November, spectators will be able to walk through Semper Fidelis Memorial Park, which overlooks the museum’s structure.
Within the park’s winding pathways leading up to the rally points will lay thousands of bricks that will be engraved with the names of Marines and loved ones. According to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation Web site, “the rally points will be places to reflect upon the sacrifices past and present Marines make to protect our nation.”
According to retired Col. Raymond Hord, vice president of Development & Marketing for the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, anyone can buy a brick for himself or a loved one.
“To honor a family member, or perhaps a friend, [or] a comrade that may have even passed on, this is a wonderful opportunity to be able to memorialize a name in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park,” said Hord. Once the museum opens, there will be touch-screen kiosks located within the museum that will allow people to find a specific brick within the park, added Hord.
Bricks are $300 each, and proceeds will go toward helping the National Museum of the Marine Corps in its goal of preserving Marine Corps history. Each brick can have up to three lines, with 20 characters on each line, and anything can be engraved on the bricks, such as the Marine’s name, rank, time in service or unit. Anyone interested in purchasing a brick can do so by downloading an order form online at www.marineheritage.org.
Order forms should be sent in soon because the space for bricks is limited, and the bricks will be installed in the order in which registrations are received. The park has enough room for 17,000 engraved bricks, but only 7,300 bricks will be laid for the museum’s opening on Nov. 10. Order forms should be sent in by mid-July, which will allow construction workers enough time to lay in the bricks for the dedication ceremony. Bricks can also be purchased after the museum opens, until the park is completed in 2007.
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