News | SC in Vietnam

Mar 28

Free lecture on the history of the M16

The eight-shot, semiautomatic M1 Garand rifle got the American infantryman through both the Second World War and Korea. General George S. Patton called it "the greatest battle implement ever devised.” But times change, and so do standard-issue rifles. Next, the military tried something that at a distance looked a lot... read more →

March 28, 2025

Mar 19

Learn about the South Carolina Navy (yes, that was a thing during the Revolution)

You’ve heard of John Paul Jones, the first great hero of the United States Navy. But remember that in his heyday, there was no “U.S. Navy” as we think of it. All we had was the prequel, the Continental Navy. And we had yet to build a single warship. At... read more →

March 19, 2025

Mar 14

Come out for a special Saturday at the Relic Room. It will be revolutionary!

When did our country make itself independent from British rule? Was it when the “shot heard ’round the world” was fired at Lexington? Was it when John Hancock and 55 other patriots signed the Declaration in Philadelphia? Was it at Yorktown? Or did it take until 1783, when the Treaty... read more →

March 14, 2025

Feb 26

Report from the front in the battle over teaching history

“A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government,” said George Washington. And how well do you think we’re doing with that right now? Not so well. In fact, if we look around at the political turmoil around us, we might assume we’ve failed... read more →

February 26, 2025

Feb 26

We mourn the passing of a hero: Col. Myron Harrington, USMC, 1938-2025

(In photo above, Myron Harrington uses a radio during the assault on Dong Ba tower during the Battle of Huế in 1968.) The Relic Room lost a friend, and the whole country lost a hero – a great American – on Feb. 19, when Col. Myron Harrington, USMC-Ret., passed away... read more →

February 26, 2025

Feb 04

At the library: Air Force intelligence in Vietnam

Few of us are experts on the Vietnam War, but most of us have heard that perhaps the greatest flaw in the way the United States conducted it was that military higher-ups in Saigon collected, believed and passed to Washington information that indicated the fight was going better than it... read more →

February 4, 2025

Jan 11

Learn about World War I aviators from SC

If you’re of a certain age, you may recall a silly comedy film from 1965 called “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.” It made slapstick fun of man’s often improbable early attempts to conquer the skies. But in real life, there were men in the first part of the... read more →

January 11, 2025

Jan 08

SwordFest 2025 comes early to the Relic Room, on Jan. 25!

Folks who are not historians tend to think of warfare in terms of things that go bang – rifles, machine guns and bombs. But for most of human history, certainly since the start of the Iron Age, combat was all about the cold, sharp, naked blade. Especially the sword. That’s... read more →

January 8, 2025

Dec 16

DoD honors Relic Room for Vietnam commemorations

When you enter the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, you will find a new certificate recognizing its extraordinary efforts to commemorate the service of South Carolinians in the Vietnam War over the last few years. The museum received the recognition because the U.S. Department of Defense found... read more →

December 16, 2024

Dec 11

Ballet and sword-fighting come together at the Relic Room

Parallels between the art of ballet and that of sword-fighting have been drawn since the dance form was born in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th and 16th centuries. To the skilled practitioner, there are many obvious common characteristics. Both grueling disciplines involve strength, endurance, balance, grace and even... read more →

December 11, 2024

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