Parris Island Museum Closed Due to Government Shutdown
We drove into work yesterday expecting a regular commute, but the line at the gate stretched back to the Parris Island Gateway shopping center. The guards scrutinized the ID card of each and every person so it took longer than expected.
By 13:00 restless civilians signed their furlough papers, set up their out of office e-mail then drove home uncertain when they would return.
I planned to go to the commissary after work so I called to see if they would be open; they said they were open today. Later I drove by the parking lot full of cars and imagined anxious customers searching for deals on perishables like meat and dairy. I pondered going back later to pick up some things, then decided against it.
On the way home we saw the marquee for the base theater. Instead of its usual movies of the week scrolling by we saw “Closed due to furlough.” The museum has a sign on the door too, “closed due to government shutdown.”
The PX will stay open and I’m sure the vendors who come on base to sell pizza, hot dogs and hamburgers will be there on Family Day, but it won’t be as much fun to visit without the museum, tram service, Brig & Brew, bowling alley, etc.
Marines have a mantra, “adapt and overcome” so if you’re heading here for a recruit graduation have no fear, the graduation will take place. Marines will run the base with a skeleton civilian crew as they have done in the past. Drill Instructors will continue to train new recruits and the job will get done, not as smoothly as possible, not with as many frills, but the mission of “making Marines” always comes first for the Depot.
UPDATE: Almost everyone is back to work on Parris Island as of Monday 10/7/13 and all of the places and services mentioned above are now open and running again.
