On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps, a groundbreaking was celebrated Tuesday, Oct. 28, for the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum , which will keep some of that history alive at the Irvine Great Park .

The museum, planned as a 131,000-square-foot facility that will be built close to what was once the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro’s Hangar 297, is a private-public partnership between the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation, the city of Irvine and the Marine Corps. The space will document the stories of aviators, veterans and civilians whose lives intersected with the base from World War II through the Vietnam War.

Officials shovel dirt during a groundbreaking for the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at the Great Park in Irvine, CA on Tuesday, Oct. 28

See Full Page