Waverly American Legion receives historic tank for display

Waverly’s American Legion Post 305 has received a “static display” military tank to be displayed in Railroad Park adjacent to the black granite military veterans’ Memorial Wall.  The tank is a model M60A3 Main Battle Tank, which is on permanent loan (requiring annual certifications) from the U.S. Army.  

The history of the tank is not clear at this point, but it has previously been on display in Rush City, Minnesota.  The tank has been demilitarized and the engine and transmission have been removed, thus giving it a present weight of approximately 50 tons.

The movement and installation of the tank on February 21 and 22 was quite the logistical exercise. First, the tank was loaded on February 21, onto a specialized trailer with sufficient axles to accommodate the 50-ton weight. This loading was accomplished by a crane rated at 300 tons.  

The unloading of the tank began early on February 22 by using a very heavy-duty wrecker/rotator to pull the tank off the trailer, and then pulling the tank onto the prepared concrete pad poured specifically for the heavy weight. The wrecker was used rather than a crane, which would have required removing overhead power lines serving part of the city for a few hours.

Work remains to prepare the tank for display before Memorial Day.  Removing some rust and repainting the camouflage colors will be required.  Landscaping, including seeding, is needed to bring the lawn up to the level of the concrete pad.  Finally, a concrete pathway between the tank’s pad and the concrete base of the memorial wall is under consideration.  Wheelchair access to both the wall and the tank are planned for the near future. 

This model of tank was intended to counter Soviet armor in use from approximately 1960 through 1990.  It was not used during the Vietnam war because its weight was often too much for the swampy terrain in the country.  It was, however, used during the first Gulf War and some minor conflicts.  The tank has now been replaced by the current M1 Abrams tanks that have been used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Although the M60A3 tanks have been retired from military service in the United States and are only found on various displays throughout the country, they are still in very active use by the militaries of several foreign countries.  Indeed, some technical upgrades to those remaining tanks have made them into very capable armored weapons.

Special thanks go to J.T. Potter Trucking, who coordinated the move and provided the transportation; Vic’s Crane & Heavy Haul who provided the crane service; Collins Brothers Towing who provide the rotator service in moving the tank to its final display location; Waverly city staff members, Jason Karels and Joe Gallus; and the many Legion Post 305 members who worked hard to make this happen.