Ghosts of the Battlefield

Ghosts of the Battlefield We are a small, privately owned museum in Virginia Beach, VA. Our mission is to preserve and present the history and heritage of the United States Military.

Ghosts of the Battlefield is charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Sometimes building a new display is a test of patience.This one was a test of the heart.For four days, photographs were ...
06/26/2026

Sometimes building a new display is a test of patience.

This one was a test of the heart.

For four days, photographs were sorted, artifacts arranged, labels rewritten, and memories revisited. Every piece had a story, and every story belonged to one remarkable woman—my grandmother, 1st Lieutenant Dorothy (Morgan) Jones.

She survived Typhoon Halsey aboard the SS Matsonia, served on Tinian as the war against Japan came to its end, cared for horribly burned airmen, witnessed the dawn of the atomic age, and later entered occupied Japan to help establish a hospital in Fukuoka. She saved lives, cared for a displaced child, met the man who would become her husband, and began a new chapter while still serving her country.

Now her photographs, uniform items, engagement ring, handmade jewelry, and personal artifacts have found a home together.

This display is more than a collection of objects. It is the story of a young Army nurse who crossed an ocean, witnessed history, and carried compassion into a world devastated by war.

After four days of work, countless memories, and more than a few emotional moments, my grandmother’s display is finally complete.

And I think she would have liked it.

Combat engineers often worked where the danger was greatest.They cleared mines, built defenses, repaired roads, and open...
06/26/2026

Combat engineers often worked where the danger was greatest.

They cleared mines, built defenses, repaired roads, and opened the paths that allowed Marines to advance. In Vietnam, these men frequently performed their duties under enemy fire, knowing that every step could conceal danger.

Lance Corporal Wilburn Hugh Boyd of Carbondale, Illinois, served as a combat engineer with Company B, 3rd Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. Assigned to the northern regions of South Vietnam, the Marines of the 3rd Division fought some of the war's earliest and hardest battles along the Demilitarized Zone and throughout Thua Thien Province.

On June 26, 1966, Lance Corporal Boyd was killed by hostile action after suffering multiple fragmentation wounds.

He was only 19 years old.

Thousands of miles from his home in southern Illinois, this young Marine answered his nation's call and served alongside his fellow Marines in one of the most dangerous occupations in Vietnam. The work of combat engineers was often unseen, but their sacrifices were no less significant.

Today we remember Lance Corporal Wilburn Hugh Boyd—a combat engineer, a Marine, and a son of Illinois who gave his life in service to his country.

Semper Fidelis.

Gone, but never forgotten.

06/26/2026

"In war, you win or lose, live or die - and the difference is just an eyelash." General Douglas MacArthur

MacArthur Memorial

New in the gallery!
06/26/2026

New in the gallery!

The war in Vietnam often placed Marines far from the beaches and jungles most Americans associated with the Corps. In Qu...
06/26/2026

The war in Vietnam often placed Marines far from the beaches and jungles most Americans associated with the Corps. In Quang Nam Province, the enemy could strike at any time, and even those assigned to support units were never far from danger.

Corporal Nicholas Michael Beran Jr. of Chicago, Illinois, served as a rifleman with Service Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Like every Marine in Vietnam, he remained a combat Marine first, ready to answer the call whenever and wherever he was needed.

On June 26, 1967, in Quang Nam Province, Corporal Beran was killed by hostile small-arms fire.

He was only 20 years old.

Born and raised in Chicago, Beran answered his country's call through enlistment in the United States Marine Corps. Thousands of miles from home, he served alongside the Marines of the 1st Marine Division during some of the most difficult years of the war.

The casualty reports record the facts: a rifleman, a Marine, lost to enemy fire. But behind those few lines was a son, a friend, and a young man whose future ended on the battlefields of Vietnam.

Today we remember Corporal Nicholas Michael Beran Jr., a Marine of the 1st Marine Division who gave his life in service to his country and his fellow Marines.

Semper Fidelis.

Gone, but never forgotten.

The night before the mission, the crews had been warned.The landing zones would be hot.As the helicopters sat on the fli...
06/26/2026

The night before the mission, the crews had been warned.

The landing zones would be hot.

As the helicopters sat on the flight line during preflight inspections, Specialist Four James Michael Young approached another crewman with a concern he could not shake.

“I have a bad feeling about going out on the operation tomorrow.”

The veteran gunner, having survived countless combat missions, reassured the young crewman that this was one of the safest areas he had flown during his entire tour. None of the men could know what the next day would bring.

SP4 James Michael Young served as a flight-qualified aircraft maintenance crewman with the 2nd Platoon, 129th Assault Helicopter Company, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade. The Bulldogs regularly flew combat assault missions into some of the most dangerous areas of South Vietnam, delivering troops directly into enemy territory.

For his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action, Young was awarded the Silver Star.

On June 26, 1971, during combat operations in Binh Dinh Province, his aircraft was lost to hostile action. The helicopter crashed, and the young Texan from Dallas gave his life in service to his fellow soldiers.

He was only 20 years old.

The memories of those who flew beside him remain. One fellow gunner later wrote:

“I was the gunner in the helicopter right behind yours.”

More than fifty years later, those words still speak to the bonds formed among the crews of the Army’s helicopter war in Vietnam—young men who climbed aboard knowing the dangers and flew anyway.

Today we remember Specialist Four James Michael Young, Silver Star recipient, Bulldog crewman, and a soldier whose final mission is still remembered by those who shared the skies with him.

Gone, but never forgotten.

A tired smile, a bandaged wound, and a newly earned Purple Heart.Otto of the 25th Infantry Division proudly displays his...
06/26/2026

A tired smile, a bandaged wound, and a newly earned Purple Heart.

Otto of the 25th Infantry Division proudly displays his first Purple Heart during the Vietnam War. For many soldiers, the medal came at a heavy price—a reminder that the dangers of combat had become deeply personal.

The men of the “Tropic Lightning” Division fought throughout some of the most contested areas of South Vietnam, enduring ambushes, b***y traps, mortar attacks, and fierce engagements against determined enemy forces. For those who wore the Purple Heart, the decoration represented more than a wound. It marked a moment when sacrifice and service became permanently intertwined.

Photographs such as this capture both the resilience and the humanity of the American soldier. Behind every medal was a young man far from home, carrying on despite injury, hardship, and the realities of war.

Today, we remember Otto and the countless soldiers who bore the wounds of Vietnam, both visible and unseen.

“No one earns a Purple Heart by choice.”

FROM THE FRONT LINES OF KOREASoldiers crouch beside a 75mm recoilless rifle, waiting in silence for the enemy to appear....
06/26/2026

FROM THE FRONT LINES OF KOREA

Soldiers crouch beside a 75mm recoilless rifle, waiting in silence for the enemy to appear.

During the Korean War, these lightweight anti-tank weapons became an important tool for American infantry units fighting across the rugged hills and valleys of the peninsula. Capable of being carried into positions inaccessible to larger artillery, the 75mm recoilless rifle provided troops with direct fire support against enemy bunkers, machine-gun positions, and advancing North Korean forces.

For the men manning these weapons, combat often meant long hours of waiting in freezing temperatures, listening for movement in the darkness and watching the hills for signs of attack. When the enemy came, the thunderous blast of the recoilless rifle could break an assault or silence a fortified position.

Photographs like this capture the tension of the Korean War—young Americans far from home, prepared to meet an enemy they could not yet see.

In the mountains of Korea, courage often waited quietly behind a gun shield.

At dawn on June 25, 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded South Korea, beginning a conflict th...
06/25/2026

At dawn on June 25, 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded South Korea, beginning a conflict that would become known as the Korean War.

Within days, South Korean and American forces found themselves fighting for survival as enemy troops pushed rapidly south. What began as a regional conflict soon drew in the United Nations, with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines from more than a dozen nations answering the call to defend South Korea.

Over the next three years, Americans would fight in places whose names became forever etched into military history—Pusan, Inchon, Chosin Reservoir, Heartbreak Ridge, Pork Chop Hill, and countless other hills, valleys, and frozen battlefields.

The war demanded extraordinary sacrifice. More than 36,000 Americans lost their lives, while hundreds of thousands more were wounded. Millions of Korean civilians also suffered through the devastation of a nation divided by war.

Often called the “Forgotten War,” Korea was anything but forgotten by those who fought there. They endured brutal winters, rugged mountains, fierce combat, and an enemy determined to drive them from the peninsula.

Seventy-five years after the first shots were fired, we remember the men and women who answered the call, the allies who stood together, and the sacrifices made on the hills and valleys of Korea.

The Korean War never officially ended, and its legacy continues to shape the world today.

Today, we honor the veterans of Korea—the Chosin Few, the soldiers at Pusan, the Marines at Inchon, the airmen over MiG Alley, and all those who served in what has become known as America’s Forgotten War.

Freedom was not free.

In the rice paddies and canals of the Mekong Delta, the men of the 9th Infantry Division fought a different kind of war....
06/25/2026

In the rice paddies and canals of the Mekong Delta, the men of the 9th Infantry Division fought a different kind of war. The heat, the water, and the constant threat of ambush made every patrol dangerous.

Specialist Fifth Class Phillip Rogers served as a medical specialist with Medical Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. Born in North Babylon, New York, he arrived in Vietnam in August 1967 and dedicated himself to caring for the wounded and saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.

On June 25, 1968, near Tan An in Long An Province, SP5 Rogers was killed by hostile small-arms fire while serving alongside the men he was sworn to protect.

He was 22 years old.

Combat medics often carried no greater weapon than their medical bag and their determination to reach the wounded. Again and again, they moved toward danger while others sought cover, risking their own lives in an effort to save another.

On that day in the Mekong Delta, Specialist Fifth Class Phillip Rogers made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his fellow soldiers and his country.

Today we remember a medic, a son of New York, and one of the many who gave everything in Vietnam.

Gone, but never forgotten.

Address

1329 Harpers Road Suite 103
Virginia Beach, VA
23454

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 5pm
Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+17573018718

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ghosts of the Battlefield posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Ghosts of the Battlefield:

Shortcuts

Share

Category