Patton Armor Museum to move to Benning...

I attend the Patton Museum Open House today and had a GREAT time. There were LOTS of reenactors (almost twice the number of 'Germans' than there were U.S.!) and with the German halftracks and American Stuarts and Shermans and LOTS OF BLANKS, they put on a darn good 'battle'.

Later I was walking thru the tent areas and joked a young 'German' reenactor about how HOT it was and that dark wool uniform he had on was a little heavy for today (he was drinking water as fast as he was sweating it out!) and he mentioned that his group liked coming to the Museum for reenactments and how everybody was sorry that this was the LAST TIME!

I asked him WHY was it the last time and he said the Patton Museum was going to be moved to Fort Benning!!!

A few minutes later I saw a gentleman with a clipboard and a white hardhat with a yellow stripe and letters that said 'Patton Armor Museum Curiator' on it talking with the Sherman tank crews. He was telling them to SHOOT more at the 'battle' tomorrow cause they had a lot of blanks and they needed to use'em up.

When he was done I collared him and ask he if it was true. He said the Patton Armor Museum wasn't 'closing' but was going to MOVE to Benning in a couple of years!!! Said Congress and 'higher ups' in the Gov't were cutting back and decided to move the armor school to Benning and the museum GOES WITH THE SCHOOL!!!

I was shocked because Fort Knox has been so important to armor development and training, they are like ONE!!!

I guess the light Striker unit left will protect that big gold brick place that ya pass just up the road....

Just wanted to let ya know!

Mike in Kentucky

I've heard this too. The move was delayed a few years, because they were going to put everything in a warehouse until they could "find" the money to build a museum. The outrage (mild tho it was) led them to decide to keep in in Ky for a while.....

I saw Patton Armor Museum when I was in basic training at Ft Knox, pretty inpressive. I don't know why they would move it Ft. Knox is Armor Central, And Benning is Airborne. But thats the military for you.

I thought about this all last night and I think this will quickly put Fort Knox on the road to being closed. Remember all those bases that were put on the closing lists ('chopping block') a few years ago? Unless a base/post had a important mission then it was easily judged too costly to keep open.

And if Fort Knox is losing the armor tradition it's always been associated with, then that's a heck of a lot of LAND that housing developers would LOVE to get a hold of!! And developers usually have lots of political connections...

In my old retired-military opinion is in just a few years the only "Fort Knox" will be painted on the gun safes.

Mike in Kentucky (MSgt ret.)

That news makes me very sad. I know that all things change with time but Ft. Knox and the Patton Museum is one thing that I really hate to see change. At least I've been able to take the grandsons there several times...

Quote:

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I don't know why they would move it Ft. Knox is Armor Central, And Benning is Airborne.

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No, Benning is Infantry. That includes airborne, leg and mechanized infantry. One of the great shortcomings in our tactical doctrine has been the inability of the Armor and Infantry to agree. Perhaps this move will help.

Ft. Benning is now the Maneuver Center for Excellence

(from the Ft. Benning MCOE website):

Maneuver Center of Excellence Mission:

Provide the Nation with the world’s best trained Infantry and Armor Soldiers and adaptive leaders imbued with the Warrior Ethos;

Provide a Power Projection Platform capable of deploying and redeploying Soldiers, civilians, and units anywhere in the world on short notice;

Define required capabilities for Infantry and Armor to meet the needs of the Future Force

Now that was funny!:D
"Maneuver center for excellence"
What IDIOT did they get to write that?

Adaptive leaders imbued with the warrior ethos? is this an advert for another Rambo movie?

And last of all, a "power projection platform"? sounds like an ad for a front end loader.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John Sukey

"Maneuver center for excellence"
What IDIOT did they get to write that?

Adaptive leaders imbued with the warrior ethos? is this an advert for another Rambo movie?

And last of all, a "power projection platform"? sounds like an ad for a front end loader.

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As we all know,
the Manure center for excellence is in Washington D.C. !!
Bob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike in Kentucky

I attend the Patton Museum Open House today and had a GREAT time. There were LOTS of reenactors (almost twice the number of 'Germans' than there were U.S.!) and with the German halftracks and American Stuarts and Shermans and LOTS OF BLANKS, they put on a darn good 'battle'.

Later I was walking thru the tent areas and joked a young 'German' reenactor about how HOT it was and that dark wool uniform he had on was a little heavy for today (he was drinking water as fast as he was sweating it out!) and he mentioned that his group liked coming to the Museum for reenactments and how everybody was sorry that this was the LAST TIME!

I asked him WHY was it the last time and he said the Patton Museum was going to be moved to Fort Benning!!!

A few minutes later I saw a gentleman with a clipboard and a white hardhat with a yellow stripe and letters that said 'Patton Armor Museum Curiator' on it talking with the Sherman tank crews. He was telling them to SHOOT more at the 'battle' tomorrow cause they had a lot of blanks and they needed to use'em up.

When he was done I collared him and ask he if it was true. He said the Patton Armor Museum wasn't 'closing' but was going to MOVE to Benning in a couple of years!!! Said Congress and 'higher ups' in the Gov't were cutting back and decided to move the armor school to Benning and the museum GOES WITH THE SCHOOL!!!

I was shocked because Fort Knox has been so important to armor development and training, they are like ONE!!!

I guess the light Striker unit left will protect that big gold brick place that ya pass just up the road....

Just wanted to let ya know!

Mike in Kentucky

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What?

Oh, now, that just ain't right...... :thdown:

I first visited the Patton Museum as a young lad when my brother-in-law was in basic at Knox back in the late 60's. :D

Moving the Armor Museum to Benning, to me anyway, would be like taking the Naval Academy & moving it from Annapolis to, oh, I don't know, maybe Fort Sam Houston?? :bitch: :runaway:

Since I live in Georgia I will be looking forward to the Museum's arrival!! Boy will that tickle the Wife to Death---Not. I just recently got her to go to the CMP South Store with me.

Terry

This was discussed quite some time ago and I'm a little surprised it's just now starting to be done. Back as far as '04 they said they were closing Knox and moving the Armor School to Benning in a move to have the Armor and Infantry train closely with each other to work better as a combined arms team.

Now, I didn't see how them training "together" would help when you're talking about basic and AIT, but, um, shouldn't they be training together A LOT at the units? The relationship between Infantry and Armor means exactly squat to a PV1 trying to figure out which end the pointy thing comes out, but those relationships are built between units in a division, where they have to work with each other

The problem is doctrinal -- infantry/tank teams operate under doctrine developed at different schools, and sometimes it doesn't mesh.