See all that you can be
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Military base tours are gaining popularity
Feeling patriotic? Want to see military training and precision at its best? Then,
hit the road and stop by any of several military bases and military academies
that are open for group touring.
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Fort Campbell
Kentucky, Tennessee
The world watched and waited while they went to war.
It was February 2003, the earliest days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and
America was about to liberate Iraq, a land taut with tension and torn by
turmoil. Some of the first troops to deploy were Fort Campbell's 101st
Airborne Division. And, only recently have they returned home from the
yearlong deployment.
Visit Fort Campbell to see how the air assault units prepare and train for this
and many other tasks. More than 24,000 troops are based there, and tourists
can see for themselves what it takes to become a Screaming Eagle.
"There is tons of publicity on TV and in print about the 101st Airborne," said
Michelle Dickerson, vice president of communications for the
Clarksville-Montgomery County Convention and Visitors Bureau. "People
have become quite curious about them."
The tour begins with Air Assault School. Soldiers call it the "10 hardest days
in the Army," and visitors to the base will see why. Led by a senior training
officer, they see soldiers navigating obstacle courses and a 34-foot repelling
wall. Those brave enough can take a shot at the wall as well.
Then, it's on to a new stop on the tour, the Canine Training Facility, where
dogs are trained for search and attack missions. And, visitors won't want to
leave without checking out the CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Developed in 1965
during the Vietnam War, it is capable of lifting eight tons and flies at speeds
of 150 miles per hour.
Lastly, the Fort Campbell post tour stops by the Don F. Pratt Military Museum,
where memorabilia, exhibits and aircraft tell the story of the 101st Airborne
from World War II to the present.
In 2007, a new 80,000-square-foot structure will house the Wings of Liberty
Museum, which will include a 200-seat IMAX theater.
www.campbell.army.mil
(800) 530-2487, ext. 231
*Since Sept. 11, individuals can no longer tour the base alone. They must be
part of a tour group. Picture ID is required.
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Oceana Naval Air Station,
Virginia Beach, Va.
Bored by the beach? Leave the sandy shores and the ocean behind to take
flight with the F14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornets at Oceana Naval Air
Station. Located just over a mile from the Atlantic Ocean, the 6,000-acre
base is home to more than 12,000 troops and 200 fighter and attack aircraft.
Tours are led by retired Navy aviators and hit all the highlights of military
life at the air station. The guides, said Troy Snead, a base public affairs
officer, make the tour especially interesting.
"They have lots of experience and lots of good stories," said Snead. "They
enjoy what they do and you can tell from the way they do tours."
A major highlight of the base is the Flight Line.
Imagine two rows of pristine, regal aircraft. Tomcats line one side, Hornets
the other. Each is parked outside the hangars, and visitors march down the
center of them as they tour the base.
"They take you right out on the flight lines," said Kathy Mayes, sales
manager of the oceanfront Colonial Inn in Virginia Beach. "You see the
pilots come out in their planes. They wave."
Groups can also have a buffet lunch in the bases officers club, which is
filled with pictures, plaques and logos from various squadrons at the base.
"The pilots are eating in there in their Tom Cruise outfits," said Mayes.
www.nasoceana.navy.mil
(757) 433-3131
*No backpacks are allowed on the base. Everyone 16 and older must show
photo ID.
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United States Military Academy
West Point. N.Y.
It's nicknamed "The Million Dollar View."
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, originally built as a fort, sits on a
cliff and offers a majestic view of the Hudson River Valley below. It was
founded in March 1802 and now serves as four-year, undergraduate college
for the training of military officers.
The student body, or Corps of Cadets, numbers about 4,000, with 900 new
officers graduating yearly.
Besides the academy, West Point is home to a military base. It is the oldest,
continuously manned post in the country.
Nearly 3 million tourists come to West Point each year. And, according to
the New York State Department of Tourism, it is one of the top three tourist
draws in the state.
"West Point is such an icon of American History and culture," said John
Schieneman, tour director for West Point Tours. "People come up here
with a lot of expectations."
And they aren't disappointed.
The academy tour stops by the New Cadet Chapel, which was built in 1910.
It also encompasses Trophy Point, an outdoor artillery museum with
captured cannons from five major wars in this country.
Keep on moving to the Parade Field where cadets put on their famous
show complete with swords and uniforms.
To round out their time at West Point, tourists can make a stop at the West
Point Museum. Here, some collections predate the academy itself, and the
museum is believed to hold the largest public collection of military
memorabilia.
"People have a good idea of what it means and what it's all about,"
Schieneman said. "After the tour, they feel more impressed and patriotic."
Westpointtours.com
(845) 446-4724
*All groups must present a manifesto of all members aboard the tour. It
should include names, ages, date of birth and gender. Everyone 16 and
older must show a picture ID.
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Old Town Trolley Tours
San Diego
Four Navy, three Marine and two Coast Guard bases call San Diego home.
Combined, they generate $17 billion annually in revenue. Additionally, San
Diego County is home to 130,000 active military recruits and 270,000 family
members.
Taking these things into account, San Diego bills itself as the "Top Gun" of
military towns. Visitors to the area can see for themselves with Old Town
Trolley Tours of San Diego.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks, civilian military tours are no
longer allowed, but Old Town Trolley Tours offers an amphibious tour that
goes past the bases and gives a detailed history of each.
The Tour of Patriotism is a 90-minute adventure on both land and sea that
traces San Diego's military history with the Navy and Marine Corps.
"People love it," said Terry Gaughan, a trainer with Old Town Trolley Tours.
"We get a lot of great response to the tour."
The exploration begins at the new San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum. The
museum, which opened June 7, is actually the USS Midway. It's a floating
tribute to those who served upon the carrier for nearly 50 years. Aboard,
tourists find aircraft, interactive exhibits and historical artifacts and
memorabilia.
From there, the tour heads out on land along the San Diego harbor front. On
this route, visitors pass the Aircraft Carrier Memorial, the Homecoming
Statue and the USS San Diego Memorial. Then, splash down into the water.
The vehicle navigates both land and water readily and tourists spend the
last part of the tour afloat.
Navigating the water, they see the Naval Air Station on North Island where
40 percent of the nation's air crews are trained. There's also the Navy
Submarine Base as well as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the
world's foremost authority on weather.
Trolleytours.com
(619) 298-8687
*Access to bases are now restricted. Special rules apply for Military Reunion
Tours. Call the individual bases for info.
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United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, Md.
The campus of the United States Naval Academy, which spans 338 acres, is
renowned for its Beaux Arts-style buildings, much like those found in Paris.
In fact, the campus is home to the country's largest collection of Beaux Art
architecture, making its charm and beauty all the more impressive.
Established in 1845, the academy is a four-year institution for the higher
education of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps officers. Both men and women are
admitted to the school, and more than 4,000 midshipmen call the campus
home.
Each year, 1.5 million tourists visit the campus.
"They love it," said Mianna Jopp, manager of the Armel-Leftwich Visitor
Center on the campus. "I've been here 10 years, and I can count on two
fingers the number of complaints we've gotten about the tours."
Tourists start their education at the visitors center. Here, they are treated to
the award-winning film, To Lead and To Serve. Later, they can explore
various exhibits like Freedom 7, America's first space capsule; a model of the
battleship USS Maryland; and a representation of a midshipman's room.
Then, it's off on a guided walking tour. Several theme tours are offered,
including historical, educational, military reunion and African American
heritage tours.
The historical tour shows off Bancroft Hall, one of the largest dormitories in
the world, the Naval Academy chapel and the crypt of Revolutionary War
hero John Paul Jones.
The guided tour wraps up at the crypt, but for those who want more there is
the U.S. Naval Academy Museum. Here, visitors can see paintings, flags and
naval prints from decades past. One exhibit includes a model ship collection
that takes up an entire museum floor.
"It's one of the finest (model ship collections) in the world," Jopp said.
www.navyonline.com
usna.edu
(410) 263-6933
*All visitors 16 and older must have a photo ID.
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The U.S. Coast Guard Academy
New London, Conn.
Jacob's Rock is a waterfront area that sits on a pier on the river and is an
outdoor classroom for cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The water is
home to watercraft of every size, and it alone is a pleasure for tourists to
behold.
"It's a very nice place," said Petty Officer Shawn Eggert, a public affairs
specialist for the Coast Guard Academy. "People love to just walk around
out there and look."
Established in 1876, the school is a four-year training facility for Coast Guard
officers. It is also home to the Officer Candidacy Degree program. Seated on
the Thames River, the academy is the smallest of the five federal service
academies. Yet, it differs from the others in that it educates officers to work
with a humanitarian workforce.
As a part of the Coast Guard, cadets are members of the oldest life-saving
service in the world.
Cadet-led tours are offered during the academic year. During summer,
self-guided tours are available.
On these excursions, visitors get to see the US Coast Guard cutter Eagle, a
training ship for cadets. The ship, one of America's premiere tall ships, was
a prize from Germany.
Then, it's on to the Leamy Auditorium to hear the Coast Guard band. Yet
another stop takes tourists to the Coast Guard Chapel, where the cadets
worship. And finally, there's the Coast Guard Museum.
Here, 200 years of service are on display in the form of carvings, cannons,
paintings, uniforms, medals and other memorabilia, as well as exhibits.
"People learn a lot about the Coast Guard they didn't know," Eggert said.
www.cga.edu
(860) 444-8231
*Photo ID is required.
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By LeDatta Grimes
The Group Travel Leader
The National Newspaper for the Group Travel Industry
August 2004 Volume 14 Number 6
The Group Travel Leader newspaper is published by The Group Travel Leader
Inc., a Lexington, Kentucky based publishing company that produces niche
travel market publications. Complimentary subscriptions are available to
travel planners for groups including banks, senior centers, churches, travel
clubs, student groups and others by visting our website at
grouptravelleader.com |
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