Tourism

I recently shared a list of the military history sites I would like to visit. A friend replied, "That's quite a bucket list." I hadn't thought of myself being ready for a "bucket list" but well, maybe. I'm sure not keen on the bucket though.

The list represents a few of the top places I'd like to visit. I've been to many of the Civil War battlefields but there are a lot of great places to see, covering all aspects of our military heritage. Some are pretty obvious - the Alamo, Pearl Harbor, West Point, the USS Constitution. Others are less apparent - the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (U-505, a Stuka), Houston (USS Texas and the San Jacinto battlefield).

I have no idea if all of these are worth seeing. I was always intrigued by the Indian Wars, but I think these battlefields are just fields with little interpretation. Still, I'd like to see where the Wagon Box Fight took place. I can tell you, the Alamo is a little disappointing. And Bunker Hill is just a neighborhood in a busy city.  But I wonder about the Pacific War Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas, and the Mexican War battlefields near Brownsville, Texas - Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. I can tell you from personal observation that some places are disappointing. The battle of Franklin is poorly preserved - unless Confederate General Pat Cleburne really was killed leading a charge in the parking lot of a Domino's Pizza. Missionary Ridge and Orchard Knob are a little scary - rough neighborhoods there in Chattanooga.

I'll publish the list sometime. It is just my preferences, but it's a big world and time is limited. There's a lot I didn't include: USS Niagara in Erie, Pa; Ft McHenry in Boston; the Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, and a lot more. It just reflects what I would drive to see. Vicksburg makes the list largely because of the USS Cairo. There's no place else to see a Civil War river ironclad.

My OCONUS choices reflect the same limitations and interests. Most of what I list is in Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany. A truly in-depth military history tourist would see Stalingrad, Thermopylae, Rorke's Drift, Gallipoli, and Hue. Well, maybe someday I'll play - and win - the lottery.