Honoring the vets

American Handgunner, Jan-Feb, 2009 by Roy Huntington

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Volunteers from the American Society of Military History Museum participated in the City of Sierra Madre's, Fourth of July Parade--in full military regalia. They honored soldiers from WWII to the present, American, as well as British. They were packing some serious hardware as well, from original M1 Garands, .30 Carbines, a Springfield and Thompson subguns (Airsoft replicas), to various sidearms. The crowd was evidently extremely supportive and enthusiastic, and sometimes cooled "em off with water balloons, which was only fair since the GIs hosed them down with fire extinguishers. The Museum was established in 1962 as a California non-profit Educational Organization and for over 45 years, it has collected, preserved, restored and shared the largest inter-service collection of military equipment in the United States. Founded by Don Michelson, the facility has over 178 displays arranged on a seven acre park. Included are tanks (M4 Shermans, M48, M60, etc.), self-propelled guns (75mm, 90mm, 105mm, 155mm and an 8-incher!), Jeeps, armored personnel carriers, halftracks, artillery and assorted landing craft can all be seen. There is even a Huey helicopter, and anti-aircraft batteries, including an original Quad-40mm Bofors mount from the battleship Missouri. If you would like to help out in any way, I know they would appreciate it.

For more info: American Military Museum. 1918 Rosemead Blvd. South El Monte. CA 91733, (626) 442-1776, www.tankland.com.

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