On that day, Lisa sponsored the veteran and brought him and his family on the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. As a former tanker Marine, who’d survived the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, a 17-day military conflict in North Korea, the veteran was excited to meet Marines working on new tankers.

“It was magical,” Lisa says. “He was trying to share his legacy with the next generation. You could tell he was afraid he’d be forgotten.”

After the experience with the veteran, Lisa wondered how she might get involved. She learned about the effort to construct the Carolina Museum of the Marine at the Memorial Gardens and joined as a volunteer. At first, she assisted in writing grants and raising money. When she was asked to be the curator and help with the exhibit design, she jumped in. Almost 30 years as a Marine and a formal education in military history made the project a natural fit for her.

“Once I understood the project,” Lisa says, “I was honored to be part of the team.”

The Carolina Museum of the Marine, a nonprofit organization, opened in June 2026, after more than 20 years of planning and fundraising. The 25,000-square-foot building was built with support from the North Carolina General Assembly, the City of Jacksonville, Onslow County, private corporations, foundations and individual donors. Its mission is to “Honor, preserve, and teach the legacy of Carolina Marines and Sailors. Showcase the Marine example to inspire future generations.”

An outdoor sculpture of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, the official emblem and insignia of the Marine Corps, welcomes guests to the Carolina Museum of the Marine. “World Warriors,” a tunnel depicting major conflicts involving Marines since World War II, is the start of the self-guided tour through three galleries and a closing exhibit.

The galleries feature the battles, a day in the life of a soldier and how community develops around a base to support its military families. The history of Marine firsts such as the Montford Point Marines, the first Black men to enlist and serve in the Marines, unfolds in artifacts, photos and letters. “Meet the Marine, Be Inspired” highlights personal stories in exhibits throughout the building.

“Meet the Marine’ was the toughest one,” Lisa says. “We [had limited space] and looked for inspirational stories, but also different generations and angles.”

Visitors can walk into a Landing Vehicle Tracked 4 and experience what it might have been like to land at Iwo Jima through an AI-generated video. This particular amphibious vehicle transported Marines from the ship to shore during multiple World War II amphibious landings in the Pacific and made an appearance in Clint Eastwood’s 2006 movie, “Flags of Our Fathers.” The LVT-4, donated to the museum, was restored by Nate and Parke Oehme of Oehme Brothers War Horse Garage in Pennsylvania.

“[Nate] said, ‘I want to restore that for you,’” Lisa says. “It was about that connection and honoring the legacy, especially because his son was serving here at Camp LeJeune.”

This fall, the museum welcomes a traveling exhibit, “Boots, Paws, and Hooves on the Ground: U.S. Marines and their Animals.” Areas inside and outside the museum are wheelchair accessible.