Foundation Creates Interactive Marine Web Museum

From a Marine Corps Heritage Foundation News Release

June 23, 2010 - The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation today launched the National Museum of the Marine Corps Virtual Experience, allowing Marines and civilians worldwide to experience a cutting-edge Web version of the real National Museum of the Marine Corps located in Quantico, Va.

With in-depth, special educational features on exhibits, galleries and artifacts as well as museum guides sharing their stories of Marine Corps history, the Virtual Experience brings the museum straight into homes and classrooms through a series of high-definition, 360-degree panoramic tours, audio narratives and extensive multimedia presentations.

Virtual Experience special features include:

-- Oral history recordings;

-- Walking-tour narratives available at the museum;

-- Video interviews and personal recollections by museum guides;

-- Zoomable high-definition photos of special exhibits;

-- Custom video presentations created exclusively for the museum; and

-- Interactive 3-D models of aircraft and other large-scale artifacts.

"In today's economy and with Marines deployed around the world, Marines don't always have the opportunity to visit their National Museum," said retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. George R. "Ron" Christmas, president and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. "The Virtual Experience provides all Americans and Marines everywhere, no matter where they live, the opportunity to be connected to the [National Museum of the Marine Corps] and witness their history on display."

Unable to visit the museum in person, Marine Corps veteran Steven Wallace of Beverly Hills, Calif., conceived the idea to create a digital version of the museum. Through funding provided by Wallace to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, the Virtual Experience was created by the Virginia-based Dynology Corp., allowing anyone with Internet access to experience the unique perspective of U.S. history on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

The Virtual Experience is a free educational tool for students and American history enthusiasts and it provides an up-close look at exhibits and artifacts on display while explaining their significance in Marine Corps and U.S. history, foundation officials said. The Virtual Experience offers visitors an in-depth tutorial on artifacts, officials added, providing more information than is possible to display at the museum.

The nonprofit Marine Corps Heritage Foundation supports the historical programs of the Marine Corps, providing grants and scholarships for research and the renovation, restoration and commissioning of historical Marine Corps artifacts and landmarks.