Friday, April 09, 2010

Tanks for the memories...

We're boots-on-the-ground here in Kentucky and I got to visit the Patton Museum for the first time. It was teh awesome.

I touched a King Tiger! There were just a whole butt-ton of tanks that I'd only seen in pictures, all up-close and not even surrounded by ropes or anything.

Afterwards we went to U.S. Cavalry, and they were having a $50 boot sale! It's like Christmas in April!

20 comments:

  1. Touch? The history? Great places like that still exist? Sounds like a good way to spend lots of time.

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  2. Both lynx work for me, but then, I've been to both...

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  3. You should stop by Ft. Sill sometime and see the brand-new artillery museum. They have a lot of displays outside, including the atomic cannon. Last time I was by there, they had a V-1, a V-2, and an Honest John in the parking lot. Besides, where else can you see signs warning of Paladins crossing?

    Regards,
    Rabbit.

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  4. Another good place to check out is the museum at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in MD. They have small arms and one of the biggest armor collections around. I drooled so much, I needed a bib when I got out of there. -grin-

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  5. Enjoy it while you can. They are moving that stuff to Benning I believe.

    Armor schools goes too. They are bringing in the HR Command.

    The Gold Depostitory will be guarded by 14,000 screaming paper pushers!!

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  6. Yeah, Aberdeen is an absolute must-see. My folks took lots of home movies of my brother and I scalding ourselves climbing around on hot armor when dad was stationed at Ft. Holabird when he was at spook school.

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  7. The Ordnance Museum is a must see and is one of the perks of working on the Proving Ground. I mean Sills' atomic cannon doesn't even have the tractors! And I get paid to go there on occasion!

    But yes you had best enjoy it while you can. BRAC is moving the Ordnance Center and School to Lee and the Ordnance Museum is going with it.

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  8. I was driving through Southern England and saw a small sign advertising a tank museum just off the road. I didn't have much else to do so thought I'd do a quick check. Well........spent the whole day there. They had pretty much every tank ever built in the place. Lots of dioramas and cut outs of the insides and armor. Best museum I've ever been to. Can't remember the name but a Google check would find it. Definitely worth it if you're over there.

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  9. Tam:

    Search box: King Tiger, boots, cavalry, surrounded by ropes. I rest my case.

    ;D

    --Holding down the fort here at Roseholme.

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  10. I was first at Ft.Sill in 1954, but didn't get to Ft Knox until 1974, and didn't get to Aberdeen (among the best collection of military rifles and Machineguns)until 1998. Someplace in 1988 or so I got to Dayton, to the AF museum, which is just a hop skip and jump from Broad Ripple. Ah, what happy times...

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  11. I'll never forget the first time I saw a T-34. All I could think was, "Damn. Its made out of MUD!"

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  12. I had to go to Knox for a couple days for Army stuff a few years back. Had a whole day to myself and spent most of it there. I love a museum that smells like a garage.
    I need to figure out a way to do that again now that I have better camera equipment.

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  13. Loren that Tank Musem in the south of England was most likely where i used to work Bovington Tank Museum they have a brilliant collection and quite a few still work they have a fully working Mk1 Tiger and a Royal Tiger and the huge Hunting Tiger plus so many more well worth a vist.

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  14. Photos, Tam, photos! I know you got a camera and it will work somewhere beside your back deck. Share some photos of the King Tiger!

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  15. In early '88, in AIT for becoming an M1 crewman we had a day detail to help the guys who did the mechanical work for the Armor museum.

    The assigned us to DRIVE some of the old tanks from one spot in their warehouse to another. Under tight ground-guide supervision, of course. I got to drive the Tiger II hull they have there. I think they are _STILL_ looking for a Porsche turret for it too.

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  16. Yeah, I loved being stationed at Ft. Knox. Lots of cool stuff all around.

    Nothing quite like watching the first Bradley's on the firing range from an overhead angle in the dark. That's a light show!

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  17. Having been to the Patton museum in 2007 and the German Armor museum in Munster last year, I have to say the latter is at least on par, if not even better.

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