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Joined 10 years ago

This is the stuff wars were made of.. The Scene
The patrons here are as colorful as the exhibits. This privately run museum attracts military buffs in droves, and many of them seem to know as much about the displays as the curators do.

What to Expect
There are some 30,000 items here, tracing the history of California's military from pre-statehood to the present. There are firearms aplenty--under glass, of course--and other weapons such as sabres. Also displayed are flags and uniforms, worn by mannequins slouching in very unmilitary postures (they were drafted from department stores, apparently). The overall tenor of the museum is gung-ho and thus won't be of much interest to pacifists, but there are sobering moments, such as a display of a Civil War-era surgeon's kit, with crude instruments for amputation. There are also exhibits that concentrate on African-Americans in the military and one dedicated to Elvis Presley's stint in the Army. Take a veteran and prepare yourself for some old war stories.