February is Museum Month in San Diego county. But there's one museum that's been here for decades that you've probably never heard of.
If you happen to be on base at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) and you miss the sign out front, you'd miss something truly special. It's the Command Museum, located on base.
“We are here to preserve the legacy of the United States Marine Corps,” said Ashley Petters, the Command Museum's marketing director.
Given that the Corps has been around since 1775, there is a lot of legacy to preserve. It's Petters' job to spread the word about the museum.
“It's kind of tucked away at MCRD San Diego," Petters said. "So, we're here to bring more advertisement and to show those in San Diego that it's not just isolated to active marines and MCRD personnel."
The museum features two floors packed with Marine Corps history. On the bottom floor, there's a large reception area, which is also a gallery, with a little something extra. For example, there's a motion sensor near a huge picture of new recruits getting off a bus at the depot. Walk into the sensor's range, and you'll hear a drill sergeant yelling at the recruits to get off the bus!
Then there's the display with a backpack attached to the wall. Visitors can strap in and do some squats to show how much weight marines have to lift while wearing those backpacks.
And there are photos all around of Marines who got their start here.
“So that includes the sacrifices, that includes the high points and the low points. I want people to know that these are Americans just like themselves," said Joan Schwarz-Wetter, the museum's executive director.
Ordinary Americans, called to do extraordinary things. Upstairs, there are galleries and exhibits devoted to the many conflicts this nation has been involved in. They are places where the old saying 'A picture is worth a thousand words' rings true on a deep level.
But more than pictures, there are things: implements of war, and emblems of appreciation, including an unassigned medal of honor that's on loan to the museum.
“It's a primer on American history, international history, in some ways, and of course the local history component. You're going to come away learning a lot," said Schwarz-Wetter.
Anyone who lives here now knows what a big part the military plays in the life of San Diego. But here, you come to understand how intertwined the two have been for a very long time.
“The Marine Corps has been a part of the fabric of San Diego really since 1911, and then 1914, and then in 1921 when this base first opened,” Schwarz-Wetter said.
The MCRD Command Museum is just one of more than 70 museums, cultural institutions, historic sites, gardens, zoos and aquariums featured this month. This one is always free, but others are half-off.
“You can already go to libraries right now and you can pick up your Museum Month pass and it has a list of all the museums that are participating. There's also a QR code on this (the pass) and at the posters you'll see at the museums.," said Bob Lehman, Executive Director of the Museum Council.
The museum is generally open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. But since the Command Museum is on base, you can't just walk right in. Information on how to visit is on the museum's website.
