Fort Pierce, Fla. – May 10, 2017 – The Navy SEAL Museum has announced plans to unveil a contemporary World War II Gallery. With renovation plans set to begin this summer, the gallery of all-new artifacts, murals, and interactive displays is anticipated to open early fall of this year.
The World War II Gallery will focus on the foundational history of the predecessors of today’s Navy SEALs and the fundamental need for the establishment of specialized units in an increasingly hostile and changing world. In a detailed timeline, visitors to the new gallery will experience stories from World War II of the crucial operations in which the first Frogmen participated. Artifacts, photographs, and exhibits will provide guests with a greater understanding of and deeper appreciation for the essential role these brave men fulfilled during the Second World War.
“The courage and sacrifice of these men, many who trained right here on the beaches in Fort Pierce, helped assure Allied victory during World War II,” said Ruth McSween, Navy SEAL Museum Curator. “This exhibition will explore the contributions to the war effort made by the Scouts & Raiders (S&R), Office of Strategic Services Maritime Units (OSS MU), Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDU), and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT). Their deeds and actions set the benchmark against which we measure military special operations today.”
The gallery’s timeline will begin in 1941 with America’s entry into WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor and travel chronologically to explore the birth of Naval Special Warfare and its evolution, illustrating several naval operations, courageous combatants, and accompanying equipment during this epoch; the timeline will culminate post Iwo Jima with the conclusion of the war in 1945.
