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July 3, 2014
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July 3, 2014
It hangs at a slight bank, pitched downward. Bomb bay doors are flung open, and a torpedo is perched for descent. It is a dramatized sculpture of a moment repeated hundreds of thousands of times decades ago, a staged capture of a prelude to carnage.
To be clear, the only thing real about the visual is what it symbolizes. The Grumman TBF Avenger inside the Regional Military Museum’s new atrium is actually a replica model. The posture in which it is cast is not technically a bombing position, which is to say perfectly level. However, the aircraft it honors at a 1-to-1 scale and the action depicted were key to World War II naval conflict, mostly in the Pacific Theater against Japanese battleships.
Two shades of blue, the torpedo bomber is strung up behind the exhibit hall’s glass facade, seemingly out of place when taken with the context of Barrow Street, itself marked by deteriorated structures. The $1.6 million, 5,625-square-foot addition adjoins the Hans Geist-muraled museum headquarters, whose own interior is conquered by military artifacts from all eras crammed so tightly together that a casual perusal can be overwhelming.
Ultimately, then, when the ribbon is cut July 4 on the new wing, it will allow the museum to stretch its legs, get comfortable and better illustrate the history of the American military. Prized artifacts to this point kept from the public due to a lack of space will at last be unveiled.
“It was a dream four years ago,” said museum president C.J. Christ. “Now it’s a reality.”
Christ, who piloted B-29s during the Korean Conflict, founded the museum about a decade ago after stockpiling artifacts, though the building to house the relics wasn’t acquired from philanthropist Bobby Thompson for a few more years.
New items large and small have streamed into the headquarters ever since ¬– they include an actual plane that ferried President Dwight Eisenhower, jeeps from World War II, Vietnam and Korea, a M113 tank, hundreds of books for research, heavy and light weaponry, uniforms and more than 5,000 artifacts in total. Two years ago producers of the movie “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” borrowed museum equipment, then returned it along with the donation of every other military-related item – like faux Hawk missiles – they used for filming.
Although new items were acquired en masse, the museum struggled to raise enough money to independently undertake capital expansion projects. So in 2010 Terrebonne’s veterans’ district asked residents for a 0.5-mill property tax. Fifty-three percent of the 23,000-plus voters (43 percent turnout) agreed to the 10-year levy, at the time estimated to raise a cumulative $3.6 million.
Christ notes the vote came amid tough economic times. He quickly rattles off essential needs the tax will not fund, like drainage, storm-surge protection, streets or schools. Instead, the museum tax was for something “entirely superfluous, if you will, or nonessential.” The contrast, he said, underscores the value taxpayers place on a military museum.
Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne keynotes an event to celebrate the opening of the new wing. Ret. Maj. Gen. Hunt Downer is the master of ceremonies. Gerald Theriot, of Schriever, the former national chaplain of the American Legion, leads prayer and a benediction. Dozens of dignitaries, including state and local lawmakers, are expected to attend.
REPLICA AVENGER IS CENTERPIECE
The single-engine Avenger debuted in the Battle of the Midway. It held a three-member crew – a pilot, gunner and bombardier, who doubled as a radioman. With a 54-foot wingspan and a 150 mph cruising speed, the plane carried one 2,000-lb torpedo and featured various machine guns, depending on the model.
Famously, George H.W. Bush piloted 46 combat missions in the Avenger before he was shot down during a mission in the South Pacific.
Avenger aircrafts sank, or assisting the sinking, of at least 35 U-Boats, according to uboat.net researcher Forest Garner, but they were also credited with helping sink two massive Japanese battleships, the Musashi and the Yamato.
Houma’s replica formerly hung from the rafters of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. It was made expendable when the museum obtained an actual version of the torpedo bomber, so it was passed on to the Regional Military Museum.
Lt. Thomas C. Lupo, who made repeated passes over the Yamato while piloting an Avenger (going so far as to throw a coke bottle once his ammunition was exhausted, according to the WWII museum), commissioned construction of a replica of his airplane, which he gave to the New Orleans museum to exhibit when it opened in 2000. It cost $62,000 to build, Christ said.
To restore the model and transport it to the museum, it cost about $10,000, Christ said. Included in that price, however, are some improvements to existing museum infrastructure, like the procurement of a new air compressor, which will next be used to work on a U.S. Navy-donated captain’s gig with a running engine, for example.
The Houma-based museum accepted the Avenger replica in 2011 and has kept it in storage pending construction of the atrium. Weeks before the replica was suspended, crews repainted the model, and carpenters rebuilt the engine and tidied the underbelly. Its wings, vertical fin, propeller and bomb-bay doors were attached to the fuselage.
On a macro level, the new wing is not regulated by a specific theme.
The suspended airplane, visible through the glass panes from the street, is the dominant exhibit. A cruise missile and a drone will also be hung. A WWII-era Jeep will be parked below, as will the replica Hawk missiles. Museum officials are currently trying to obtain a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter and a functional tank for ground space. The control wheel from an A-20 piloted by former Houma Mayor Charles Davidson during World War II will hang on the wall.
“We have enough scattered around Terrebonne Parish to just about fill it up,” Christ said. “In other words, we’re not taking much from the old museum.”
Each section, separated by partitions, will have a unique theme, such as underwater activities or tank warfare, Christ said.
The glass panes are approximately 1 1/8 inches thick and are rated to withstand 135 mph winds, Christ said. It will cost the museum $14,000 per year to insure the building and its contents, said Will Theriot, the museum’s vice president.
PART OF MULTI-PHASE PLAN
The Regional Military Museum’s plans to expand do not end with the atrium.
Christ said he envisions a three-story complex stretching from Barrow to Daspit streets. The second floor would be for office space, and the third floor would be an expansive library, the backroom clutter of the current collection illustrating its need.
A timeline for the next phase has not been established, nor has a funding mechanism – the existing property tax would sunset in 2020 if it’s not extended – but Christ said he’s optimistic the second phase will eventually become a reality.
“We don’t have a (written) plan, but we think it can happen,” he said.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Museum officials plan to soon open their doors on Saturdays, giving students and their working parents more opportunities to view the exhibits.
“When the kids are in school, we’re open,” Christ said. “When they’re out of school, we’re closed.”
Some of the Saturday volunteers are already committed, but the museum will need more before the weekend hours can be offered.
Estimates hold that roughly 600 visitors frequent the museum each month, but Christ said that number is likely inflated because it includes some volunteers and others who sign in at the front desk but aren’t technically visitors.
Aside from the work on Saturday, the museum continues seeking volunteers for all aspects of its operation, anything from building maintenance, office work, riding in parades, guiding tours and more. For veterans, volunteering can build camaraderie, the museum president said. “You can talk to people, and you’re talking about something you were involved in,” he said.
Just like donations of items, the donation of time is tax deductible, Christ said.
A replica Grumman TBF Avenger hangs in the atrium of the Regional Military Museum’s new wing.
