County to Fund Study of Military Museum
Orange County supervisors have bought into plans for a military museum, deciding this week to spend at least $88,000 to see whether one of the twin hangars at the closed Tustin Marine Base can be pressed into service.
A veterans group has proposed converting the 18-story northern hangar into a showcase for exhibits that reflect life in wartime and pay homage to the county’s 250,000 veterans. The hangar will be transferred to the county from the Navy following environmental cleanup of the cavernous structure.
According to plans, the hangar would be filled with thousands of items donated by about 40 private collectors. Planes, tanks, trucks, Jeeps, uniforms and photographs are expected to be among the donations.
Museum organizers have received $2 million of vintage tanks, landing craft, uniforms and other equipment restored for the movie “Windtalkers,” a Nicolas Cage drama about Marines assigned to protect Navajo encryption experts in the Pacific during World War II. Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to pay for the study.
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