My Ocean Springs: 2007 in Pictures

Doug Mansfield, and his wife, Cheryl, opened their G.I Museum in August, 2006, the only military history museum on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Their collection includes over 16,000 artifacts spanning from World War I through Iraqi Freedom, but the museum currently focuses its attention on World War II. The 2,000 square foot building that the Mansfields built to house the collection was named Sean Cooley Memorial Hall in honor of their son’s close friend who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in February, 2005, which appropriately communicates their museum’s goal to impress upon everyone the wartime sacrifices made by Americans. Admission to the museum is free: it is quite simply a labor of love.