It was time to visit the other coast and Denny has a cousin that has a condo in Ft. Pierce. They had graciously invited us to come for a visit so we headed over...it's about a 3hr drive from our house to their ocean front condo. We got into the area a bit sooner than we expected so we stopped at a Manatee Viewing Center....well, when it was built there was a power plant close by that provided warm water during the cooler winter months...but it was moved and so have the manatees so you don't see any there anymore....oh well, we'll find them somewhere else. We arrived and visited a while and then headed out for dinner. We went to this great place at a Marina, we sat outside, enjoyed the music and the food and had a great evening. We got back to the condo and played some friendly Guys vs Gals in Uker....the guys won, but just barely....we will get a re-match one day!!
The next morning we headed out for a Saturday Market and some lunch. I was a bit fascinated with this guys flutes..he makes them and played them very well...
It was fun to walk around and see the crafts....then in a different section were all the food tents. I bought some pickles and chips and salsa....yum. All of this was in a big park right by the Marina and water, and it was a gorgeous day. Then we stopped in at the neat place for lunch....then we headed to the Navy SEAL Museum....talk about cool.
This statue was just outside the entrance to the building.....just amazing.
And what does SEAL stand for......
Once inside it is broken into sections...Vietnam, WWII, Korea Conflict up to more recent issues, including the killing of Osama bin Laden
It was fascinating, here were some displays about the bin Laden mission
The Mission.......
What really happened.....he was killed in his bedroom....
The guns and equipment displays were fascinating. They even had "dress like a SEAL" clothes and equipment you could put on. The guns were not real, of course, but the sign said they were made as much like the real ones as they could be including how heavy they were, and believe me...they were MUCH heavier than I'd have EVER guessed.
There was a great section that was all about Navy SEAL K-9
The SEAL's are known for being good in the sea...that's their specialty....The Frogmen
Remember the Tom Hanks move Saving Captain Phillips....here's the real story and the real boat that was used to save him....
The inside of the boat....
On the outside you could even still the bullet holes.....
The movie 13 Hours has just come out....about the horrible 13 hours in 2013 our guys fought in Benghazi....they had this display in their honor...senseless deaths happened during that 13 hours.
Next was theUH60 Black Hawk Helicopter used to free Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted
This film was running just showing a few things the SEAL's do.....
Fast Rope...something they have to do often....
They have many vehicles and lots of equipment...
Makes you wonder...what does it take to be a Navy SEAL.....
Food rations........
Night Vision...a huge advantage they have..
How the communicate...
The trident they all wear has a great story
SEAL's are fiercely loyal........
If you can't make it and you quit Basic Underwater Demolition(BUDs) SEAL training you have to ring the bell 3 times when you leave...the only other time the bell is rung, is on graduation day...each SEAL rings it once to signify the completion of training.....he made it!!!
Next section was about Vietnam....the SEAL's have a long history..
and very different equipment....
The SEAL's were the ones to help the astronauts when the used to splash down in the ocean upon their return from space. This foil piece is from Apollo 11....a thank you.
Lots of older equipment and memorablia....and things you could even try to do.....
The Seal Ethos (a Greek word meaning character)....WOW....more people should have these characteristics...
Now it was time to see the outside grounds which were just as cool as the inside...
First a statue in memory of fallen comrades.
Next....lots of helicopters, boats and SDV's..........
Vietnam Seawolf Helicopter
Having the pictures of this equipment being used was cool...
Captured Iranian Gun Boat..
Yep...men got in this and went underwater.....the equipment they use is awesome.
Navy SEAL Memorial.....
These things sticking up were once beach obstacles...
This boat was huge and we got to go inside it.....
This was no where near as big....but was used for different things..
Wow what a disguise.......
The Navy SEAL's started in Ft. Pierce, it is now in Calif, so they had a full SEAL obstacle course...I'm not sure what all you might have to do on these but I am sure it wouldn't be easy...
We spent about 3 hrs here and could have easily spent 5-6....we missed some films, but we'll find them on the internet, and we'll come back one day to read other things we missed. This was amazing.
We headed back to the condo the change for dinner. We went to a lovely place that had a wonderful 3 person band...they played a terrific variety and many of us danced the night away. The food was wonderful. Then home to bed ...the next day we were going to see a few more sights and head back home.