National Marine Corps Museum Opens Respite Room

The respite room at Quantico.

On the top floor of the National Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, the open room is warm and dry and overlooks surrounding hills like Hill 881 in an exhibit that is styled like the Khe Sanh Marine Base in South Vietnam, circa 1968. Khe Sanh Marine Base was a hot spot in the Vietnam War where many Marines were killed, and for those who survived, this replica room could trigger a bout of post-traumatic stress disorder from their time as a combat soldier there. If that happens, there is now a respite room set up in the museum where they can go to gather for situations like this.

Michael D. Salmon, USMC Ret., father of this writer, photographed scenes depicted here during his 1967 tour of duty at Khe Sanh Marine Base, Vietnam.

“Some of our visitors suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and the museum exhibits can trigger an emotional response. The respite room is a way for us to recognize that and provide support,” said Maj. Gen. James W. Lukeman, USMC (Ret.), president and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. The respite room was the brainchild of a museum volunteer and MCHF donor who suffered from PTSD after serving in Vietnam.

On June 12, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Thomas L. Murtaugh, Ph.D., Respite Room, where visitors can gather in a quiet space away from the activity of the main exhibit areas. According to the Foundation, “The Respite Room provides a calming environment with soft lighting, tranquil colors and soothing décor. Comfortable seating and wood wall panels help block out outside noise, creating a serene space where visitors can find peace and quiet amid the museum’s powerful exhibits.”

The room is named after Dr. Thomas Muraugh, who worked for 24 years at the Veterans Administration as a clinical psychologist and researcher and was internationally recognized as an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Although respite rooms are adopted by the military to help veterans, PTSD can affect anyone who has experienced trauma. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, frightening or dangerous event.”

The opening of the room comes at a good time as the museum prepares to open galleries covering the Corps’ history from 1976 to the present, and it could create a situation where veterans who were part of that history could also visit the museum in person.

The loud sounds of fireworks can also trigger post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans or anyone who has been shot.

Belvoir Museum Facilities

At the National Museum of the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, they follow a similar path with visitors and veterans, but don’t have a “quiet room” per se.

The museum is full of memorabilia and artifacts, such as the marine museum, that could trigger an emotional response.

“Museum staff and volunteers have learned to recognize and respond to the needs of visitors who might benefit from additional information or assistance, such as sharing movie times for those with reduced sensitivity, anxiety management devices, a navigation map for those with sensory sensitivities or noise-canceling headphones,” said Susan Mullen, the museum’s public relations manager. Museum staff can also provide a visitor with a quiet decompression space if needed, she added.

During the rainy season in Vietnam, at the US Marine base in Khe Sanh.