NORFOLK, Va. — I recently visited the MacArthur Memorial to check out a piece of local history.
When you think about Army vehicles, you likely picture dull green tanks, Jeeps, and large trucks. Probably not a shiny black Chrysler.
"It's a 1950 Chrysler Crown Imperial. It was MacArthur's limousine and personal car, beginning just before he left the Far East in 1951." Corey Thornton, a curator at the MacArthur Memorial, describes the largest item in the museum's collection.
General Douglas MacArthur was a military hero and even had a bit of celebrity status after serving in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. This was his limo during his time in Japan and in New York after his retirement.
While most of this car is in pristine condition, there is an area with several deep scratches - imperfections that would be an eyesore to car collectors, but an important record for historians.
"The drivers he had, most of [them] were part of the GHQ Honor Guard, which is MacArthur's personal guard. Many of them essentially signed or etched in their signatures or their names in the interior of the car," said Thornton. "He (MacArthur) would never really have access to the driving portion, the front seat portion. So we don't know how he might have felt about that."
The MacArthur Memorial is located on Bank St. in Norfolk. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
