CONTRIBUTED BY
PACK AND TROOP 858
OPELIKA — Pack and Troop 858 from Opelika spent the night of Saturday, Sept. 12, living aboard the Battleship USS ALABAMA in Mobile. Led by leaders of the Pack and Troop, the members learned about a “battlewagon” in World War II. The Pack and Troop also explored the submarine USS DRUM, which ranked eighth among all U.S. Navy subs for the amount of enemy shipping tonnage she sank.
Those interested in aviation saw over 30 airplanes from World War II, the Korean and Vietnam conflicts and Desert Storm. Several of these historic aircraft are housed in the indoor Aircraft Pavilion dedicated to the 30 Medal of Honor recipients from Alabama, including a P-51D “Mustang” of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. On the grounds are a giant B-52 bomber and A-12 “Blackbird” super-secret spy plane capable of flying over three times the speed of sound. There also was an abundance of Army and Marine Corps tanks, artillery and combat vehicles located in the 155-acre bayside Battleship Memorial Park.
This trip has enabled Pack and Troop 858 members to better understand and appreci ate the contributions made by military personnel in times of conflict when America’s basic values of liberty and freedom were threatened.
USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park is dedicated to Alabamians who served in all branches of the military and is an independent agency of the state of Alabama.
