RustyBattleship

Well, perhaps this one that persuaded me to consider joining a tank outfit. I was a senior in high school when this first hit the newspapers. The incident happened only a couple of miles from where I live now.

This M41 assigned to the Guard unit in Long Beach was cut off at an intersection, by a woman driver of course. The tank driver (ironically from Milwaukee as I was) hit full right laterals. Taking out the stop sign was no problem but when he hit the telephone pole he was jostled out of position and missed the brake pedal that is on the LEFT side of the steering post (you have to use your left foot for braking as the steering post prevents your right foot from crossing over).

As you can see from the pics below (that I saved all these years because I like the look of Studebakers) he did a bit more damage.

On top of that, 3 years later when we were up at Camp Roberts for training, that same tank was hauled up by low-boy to put it through regular paces (each tank battalion had to take one of their own tanks each year).

Coming back from Hunter Ligget Military Reservation (where our target range for tanks was) the tank trail paralleled the paved road. Some smart-a** MP thought he was driving too fast and kicking up too much dust. So the MP became a dumb-a** and pulled his jeep onto the tank trail, around a curve at that, to tell the 25 ton, 500hp tank to stop.

Well, fortunately the MP was a good long jumper and only broke an arm on landing. The jeep was unrecognizable.

Two years after that, my battalion was in a parade in Long Beach along with the Long Beach Battalion. As part of the organization of the parade, I was to drive a jeep -- in front of THAT tank. On the side of the turret were painted in white sillouettes were: a stop sign, a telephone pole, 5 cars, a camping trailer and an MP Jeep.

Ah. The good old days.

Attached Images

M41-1 & 2 vertical small.jpg (790.4 KB, 43 views)

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RadioPatrol

85 - 87 I rode around in M901 ITVs - based on the M113 Chassis, and I can tell ya in the Mojave in July @ 120 in the shade they got quite hot and dusty inside ... then add a 300 Gal Fuel tank in the back that heats up as the Diesel Fuel circulates to the engine compartment and back - nice in the winter, sux in the summer

RustyBattleship

Oh yeah. I've been to Fort Irwin also. One time they had to pull me out of my tank, rush me back to the barracks, throw me into the shower (fatigues, boots and all) and force feed me salt tablets.

RadioPatrol

Fun ain't it ......... I rotated through their 4 times from 85 - 87 while stationed at Ft Carson Co. my 1st rotation was in July we got 50lb of Ice a day, it came with the evening chow .... breakfast an lunch were 1st Gen MRE's - we were happy in 86 when we started getting 2nd gen Cheese Packets that did not separate into orange goo and oil ....... Hmm Yum

and did you know anyone that ate Chicken al King ......

a bright spot was the 23 hr bus ride back that took me through Vegas 3 times .... with the 1st being through Flagstaff Az.

Expat Canuck

Man you guys have the best tank stories. I had to post the link to a gaming website, my gaming friends will love these gems.