Branson, Missouri Trip(Part 1): Military Veterans Museum

Branson, Missouri Trip (Part 1): Military Veterans Museum (Summer, 2007)
While on an anniversary getaway trip (which means... just Kathy and me... no kiddos), I stumbled upon this great little military war museum along the main drag strip that goes through Branson. It only costs a few bucks each (and might have been free for us ID card-carrying veterans) but I paid anyway.

The gorgeous WWII era P-51 Mustang fighter plane mounted high above the parking lot is a great eye-catcher and makes it easy to find the Museum. It is well worth the time and money if you like military, war, vintage and/or historical items.
This is the largest (at least longest) continuous bronze statue in the USA... a platoon of infantrymen "movin' out"... and I think they said that former Senators Bob Dole (Kansas) and Daniel Inyouwa (Hawaii) were supposedly depicted as two of the soldiers in this very impressive nearly-life-size statue.
A detail of this impressive, nearly-life-size, bronze statue.
Life-size bronze statue of a U.S. Doughboy of WWI
World War I weapons... mostly German in this display case.
U.S. uniforms of a WWI doughboy and a field hospital nurse... a patriotic child's version of the uniform is shown too.
A huge wall mural painting of the dastardly Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor... 7 December, 1941 !

(By the way... That was an awesome trip we took for our honeymoon many years ago... to see Hawaii, the islands, and especially Pearl Harbor with its Arizona Memorial & inspiring museums)
Flight & dress uniforms for Army guys of WWII and Korea vintage.
A huge wall mural of U.S. bombers (B-24's I think) and fighter escorts fighting their way through German fighters on their way to bomb Germany.
A WWI U.S. cavalry horse with full equipment... which included a gas mask and goggles in case of a German mustard gas attack.
During WWII, B-24 Bomber "nose art" was very important, creative, and morale-lifting (not to mention "colorful") for bomber crews fighting over Europe and the Pacific.
WWII Nazi German uniforms and equipment... and a U.S. display with a captured swastika flag
WWII ground-mounted machinegun (maybe a Browning 30-cal. but I don't remember) probably used for U.S. naval base defenses.
WWII German weapons & equipment... with a "potato masher" grenade on display
WWII Japanese flight suit and officer dress uniforms in front of rising sun, sunburst flag
WWII German Concentration Camp garb for Jewish prisoners and Holocaust photos
WWII Nazi German "SS" officer uniform and equipment
A well organized Cavalry Horse-pack (maybe U.S. WWI)... showing saddle bag arrangements and accompanying bolt-action rifle, pistol and holster
North Vietnamese officer and basic Vietcong fighting "pajama" uniforms
Early Desert Storm BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) and an officer dress green uniform
U.S. weapons of Vietnam to present... M-60 machinegun, M-16 rifle, and a disposable/one-shot LAW (light antitank weapon) are displayed here

*****
The Museum was heaviest on the WWII era displays...
BUT... all U.S. wars from 1900 - present (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Southwest Asia) were well represented with numerous, interesting displays and information !
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