Finally tired of killing people, the US Army is opening a Theme Park.

[StrangeCheez]

US Army Considering Military Theme Park Next To Museum
Tuesday August 8th, 2006 / 15h24


FORT BELVOIR, Virginia (AP)--The U.S. Army is considering a proposal to allow a private developer to build a military theme park that would include "4D" rides and bars including a "1st Division Lounge."
Military officials said a massive entertainment and hotel complex built next to a national Army museum could draw more than 1 million people a year. But authorities in Fairfax County, Virginia, are objecting because of already traffic-clogged roads surrounding the proposed site.
Universal City Property Management III, of Orlando, Florida, submitted the unsolicited proposal for the theme park last year.
"You can command the latest M-1 tank, feel the rush of a paratrooper freefall, fly a Cobra Gunship or defend your B-17 as a waist gunner," according to the proposal, which was obtained by The Washington Post.
County officials have no authority over the Army's decision because the site is federal property. County Supervisor T. Dana Kauffman said he thought the entertainment concept died last year and said he had no interest in turning a military museum into "Disney on Rolling Road."
But the Army notified the county last week it is planning to move the military museum from Fort Belvoir to a site a few miles away that would be large enough for the entertainment complex.
The Washington Post reported that the Army is considering the entertainment venue to help offset the cost of the $300 million museum, which a spokesman said is scheduled to open in 2013.
http://www.easybourse.com/Website/dy...NewsRubrique=2

[TexasNate]

'Finally tired of killing people?'

Does no one think the U.S. military has any value as a protector of their freedom anymore?

[StrangeCheez]

Originally Posted by TexasNate

'Finally tired of killing people?'

Does no one think the U.S. military has any value as a protector of their freedom anymore?

I have a hard time seeing the fiasco in Iraq as protection. Even most soldiers I know don't feel they're making a difference, or protecting our freedoms in the US. The title was a joke, although not very funny now that I look back on it, but I don't hold our soldiers responsible for anything. They do their job as they are required to. It's a shame that the protection of our country's financial interests is a part of their job description, and I really wish that were different. But that's too much to hope for, soldiers have been dying for money since the beginning of time.

[ladyspur]

Crazy idea.

[cope]

[Jason R]

I see little reason to potshot the military in the title of this thread.

[StrangeCheez]

Originally Posted by Jason R

I see little reason to potshot the military in the title of this thread.

Originally Posted by StrangeCheez

The title was a joke, although not very funny now that I look back on it

Half my family is in the military, I don't hold anything against them or anyone else who chooses to serve. It wasn't meant to be serious. Jeez.

[xmiltsx]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...rejected_x.htm

Army shoots down plan for military theme park


McLEAN, Va. (AP) — The Army shot down a developer's proposal Tuesday to build a military theme park on a Virginia Army base that would feature rides that allow visitors to "command the latest M-1 tank" and "feel the rush of a paratrooper freefall."

A Florida developer wanted to erect the theme park at Fort Belvoir, a few miles from the nation's capital, in conjunction with plans for a new National Museum of the United States Army scheduled to be built at the base by 2011.

"That proposal ... was dead on arrival, and will be dead on arrival if resubmitted," said Keith Eastin, the Army's assistant secretary for installations and environment.

Eastin said the Army is willing to consider some type of "visitor destination concept" to go with the museum, but it would have to be done "in a tasteful and appropriate manner."

The proposal drew sharp criticism from local officials who worried not only about the traffic in a region already on the verge of gridlock, but also that a theme park would make a mockery of the Army experience.

"How do you handle war? You don't trivialize it. It's the most serious engagement," said Fairfax County Supervisor Gerald Hyland, a retired Air Force colonel whose district includes most of Fort Belvoir. "I kind of hold my breath that you could do that and have it appeal from an entertainment perspective and at the same time respect the history of the Army."

Orlando-based developer Universal City Property Management, which is unaffiliated with Universal Studios, drew up a 14-page proposal back in 2004 for a museum complex that would "put you in an interactive world where you'll feel firsthand what it's like to defend American freedom." Visitors would be able to "live the greatest battles of all time in a multi-sensory 4-D presentation."

The developer did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday.

In the 1990s, Disney proposed a history-theme amusement park in neighboring Prince William County. That plan also ran into strong opposition from historians and environmentalists, and Disney backed down.

[Matias]

I would never take my kids there. Terrible idea.