The Forever War
“Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man”
– saying attributed to the Jesuit Order
CNN: C’mon kids, let’s go to Army World!
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 Posted: 1352 GMT (2152 HKT)
FORT BELVOIR, Virginia (AP) — The Army is considering a proposal to allow a private developer to build a military-themed park that would include Cobra Gunship rides and bars including a “1st Division Lounge.”
Military officials said a massive entertainment and hotel complex built next to a national Army museum could draw more than 1 million people a year. But authorities in Fairfax County are objecting because of already traffic-clogged roads surrounding the proposed site.
Universal City Property Management III, of Orlando, Florida, submitted the unsolicited proposal for the theme park last year.
“You can command the latest M-1 tank, feel the rush of a paratrooper freefall, fly a Cobra Gunship or defend your B-17 as a waist gunner,” according to the proposal, which was obtained by The Washington Post.
County officials have no authority over the Army’s decision because the site is federal property. County Supervisor T. Dana Kauffman said he thought the entertainment concept died last year and said he had no interest in turning a military museum into “Disney on Rolling Road.”
But the Army notified the county last week it is planning to move the military museum from Fort Belvoir to a site a few miles away that would be large enough for the entertainment complex.
