Arms and Armor at the National Museum of the Marine Corps & Military Writers Society

September 3, 2023

This week’s one hour radio broadcast begins as host Dale Throneberry welcomes Gary Zelinski and John Cathcart of MWSA, and Jonathan Bernstein, Curator for The National Museum of the Marine Corps. Dale will close with music that says it all – “God Bless America”.

Reminder: Purchase your ticket to support Veterans Radio America, our 501(c)3 parent organization, as we launch another year of veteran-focused content for veterans and patriots alike! Link below.

Military Writers Society of America – Saving History One Story at a Time

Dale, a long time member of the Military Writers Society of America, is joined by fellow members Gary Zelinski and John Cathcart of MWSA.

From their website

We are a nationwide association of authors, poets, and artists drawn together by the common bond of military service. Most of our members are active-duty military, retirees, or military veterans. A few are lifelong civilians who have chosen to honor our military through their writings or their art. Our only core principle is a love of the men and women who defend this nation and a deeply personal understanding of their sacrifice and dedication.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps

Meet Jonathan Bernstein, the Curator of Arms & Armor at the NMMC

Jonathan Bernstein is the Curator of Arms & Armor Collection at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The Museum is located on Semper Fidelis Way in Triangle, VA.

Jon came aboard as the Arms & Armor Curator in August 2020 after helming the US Army Air Defense Artillery Museum for the eight years prior. With a museum career that spans three decades, he has worked in nearly every type of historical museum and done everything from paper conservation to costumed interpreter to aircraft and vehicle restoration to Supervisory Curator.

He has written six books and a number of articles on military and aviation history, the majority focusing on the applications of tactical airpower in the European Theater during World War 2. His latest book, (and his third on the P-47 Thunderbolt), “Duel: P-47 vs German Light and Medium Flak” was released in October 2021.

Jon holds a Master’s degree in Museum Science from Texas Tech University and took a leave of absence from his Military History PhD program there in 2005 in order to attend US Army flight school. He logged nearly 600 hours in the AH-64A and AH-64D Apache helicopter as a Pennsylvania National Guard aviator before leaving military service in 2012.

Jon assumed leadership of the ADA Museum in April 2012 and was the driving force behind the museum’s successful 2013 reopening and subsequent successes in the aftermath of the museum’s move from Fort Bliss to Fort Sill in 2010. In 2016, he began working with the Army Corps of Engineers to design and build a new museum building at Ft. Sill to house the ADA collection, and incorporated key design features into the building structure that maximized the presentation of the Air Defense collection. That building was finally completed in November 2020.

Starting in August 2020, Jon has immersed himself in the Arms & Armor Collection, absorbing the depth and breadth of the history contained therein. He’s focused on those firearms and macroartifacts with provenance within the collection, as they are the best conduits to help the museum properly tell the history of the Marines associated with them.

For more information on the National Museum of the Marine Corps

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