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Armed Forces Military Museum

Introduction

The Armed Forces Military Museum is located in Largo, FL., not far from my home in Tampa. One day I decided to check it out, as it was one of the local museums I had been meaning to get to eventually. As it turns out, you can't go wrong going local!

It is located in a large warehouse in an industrial area, which is a perfect place for this museum with plenty of room. After parking in the large parking lot, you immediately notice the displays right outside the entrance. These include a Russian jet fighter, a Huey helicopter and a display of several assorted military vehicles. There weren't any signs there to describe the vehicles, but they are all interesting examples of cargo and utility vehicles. Once you go inside, you are greeted by the friendly museum staff and you pay the entrance fee.

The museum is set up in several different sections, with each section dedicated to one war (WWI, WW2, etc.) But immediately to the left of the entrance is a room with displays of US military uniforms of various periods and branches. The next room is dedicated to a large collection of bayonets, small arms ammunition, landmines, grenades and such from WWI, WW2 and Vietnam. One has to admire the effort the museum staff put into locating and preserving these objects. They were all in very good shape and invaluable to modelers seeking details for smaller items. The next room over has displays full of knives, more bayonets, and many fine examples of rifles, mortars machine guns and their ammo, including flame throwers, anti-tank weapons and small bombs. This room, like the previous, is full of eye candy for the military modeler or enthusiast. Examples of common weapons are here, as well as the rare.

Next we have the WWI area, made to look like a typical trench from back then. Morse code, radio messages and explosions play through a loudspeaker during your walk through, giving an idea of the battlefield noise, which may not be totally accurate, but still atmospheric. There are several displays of common individual items as well as uniforms each side used.

The next section, a large room loaded with Japanese artifacts, is dedicated to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Along with Japanese uniforms, weapons and personal items, there are many models of various Japanese and US warships. This is a theme, as there are many other models in the museum.

Next is a section dedicated to the US marines in the Pacific, the entrance guarded by an M3 Stuart tank. There is also a WW2 DUKW here, along with various US Navy items. This segues into the D-Day area, which shows some examples of beach defenses and US uniforms. From this point on, it's military vehicle palooza as most of the vehicles in their collection are in this hall. They are also in great shape, like the other vehicles. Vehicles include an M4A3 Sherman, field artillery, some motorcycles, M3A1 Scout Car, WC51 Weapons Carrier, several types of Jeeps, M41 Walker Bulldog, M43 Dodge Ambulance, M47 Patton tank and many more. Several ship models are here also on display. There are also more displays with Wehrmacht memorabilia, Soviet uniforms, more bayonets and more. Several areas in this large hall are dedicated to wars such as Vietnam, Korea, the Gulf War and others. There really is a lot to look at here and shutterbugs will have no problem filling their memory cards. After this is the exit and of course the gift shop.

You'll need some time to go through the entire museum, but it is well worth it for the pieces they have and the educational aspect of the displays. They have passes for admission all year and they host varying events during the year, so there will always be something interesting when you go. There is a website for the Armed Forces Military Museum. Armed Forces Military Museum Live links