More visitors at Navy SEALs museum after Bin Laden raid

The biggest attraction at the Navy SEALs' national museum in Fort Pierce, Fla., isn't memorialized in any artifact or mentioned in any display. But that doesn't keep visitors from asking.

The May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden at the hands of SEALs has brought a spike in visitors to the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, seeking a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the mission was pulled off. Attendance has roughly tripled since the raid, visitors are pummeling docents with questions, and people wanting to express their gratitude have flooded the museum with letters of thanks.

"They're hoping to get ground truth here," says Michael Howard, the museum's executive director and a former SEAL.

Visitors hankering for an in-depth look at the raid probably won't get what they're looking for -- not yet at least. But the museum's history of the SEALs and their predecessors gives a glimpse into their secretive world and the type of men called to conduct such a mission.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM

The museum is built at the birthplace of the SEALs, whose name is shorthand for the Sea, Air, Land special forces. From 1943 to 1946, Fort Pierce was home to a makeshift training encampment for Naval Combat Demolition Teams and Underwater Demolition Teams (the "UDT" in the museum's name), the forerunners to the SEALs.

Mannequins are dressed in uniforms worn by the elite squads through the years; cases memorialize their most notable members. Outside, there is a Huey helicopter, mini submarines and even the lifeboat from the SEALs' daring rescue of a cargo ship captain from the hands of pirates two years ago.

Cases are filled with antiquated life jackets, gauges, breathing devices and other items, including a tattered Japanese flag and a surrender document signed by the head of the Imperial Army at the end of World War II.

For now, the museum is heavy on the story of the SEALs in places such as the World War II battles of Normandy, Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

The very idea of a museum devoted to the secretive SEALs befuddles some. Howard says he constantly asks himself, "Is this acceptable? Are we saying too much here?" when designing exhibits.

COMING SOON?

The museum is preparing to open a new wing -- more than twice the size of the original building -- which its staff hopes to focus on the post-9/11 world of the SEALs.

What the new building may contain of the bin Laden raid is not yet known. But the museum's staff isn't all that comfortable with the immense exposure given the SEALs since the mission was accomplished. As SEALs, Howard says, "You're OK operating in the dark, figuratively and literally. I think most guys are uncomfortable with the frenzy lately."

Still, Howard recognizes that, for good or for bad, the bin Laden raid is bringing more attention to the museum. Right now, only the gift shop appears to be overtly taking advantage, with T-shirts for sale that say "The Last Thing Going Through Usama bin Laden's Mind Were Navy SEAL Bullets."

IF YOU GO

National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum

3300 N. Highway A1A, Fort Pierce, Fla., 772-595-5845, navysealmuseum.com

ADMISSION $8 ($4 ages 6-12)