Curator's Blog
April 03, 2012
Major Douglas A. Zembiec helipad, Camp Victory, Iraq Rob Doane
Our fans know that the Museum houses thousands of artifacts that help visitors learn about the history of the Navy from pre-colonial times up through WWII. We have far fewer objects with which to tell the Navy's story in the modern era, however.
We got a little bit of help in that department yesterday when we were honored to receive a metal sign that marked the helipad at Camp Victory in Iraq. The helipad was named after Major Douglas A. Zembiec, USMC, a 1995 USNA graduate who was killed in action in Baghdad on May 11, 2007. Among the awards that Major Zembiec earned were the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star with valor device, and the Silver Star. He was popularly known as the "Lion of Fallujah" for his actions as a company co
ander during Operation Vigilant Resolve in 2004. The Museum is grateful to Major Zembiec's family and to the Marine Corps for this donation.
