RENO, Nev. (COLO) – There’s a lot of greenery in this part of the National Automobile Museum.
That’s because there is a section dedicated to military vehicles and weapons from past wars. It’s all in honor of Veterans Day.
Bill Petty, a Navy veteran, was here when the vehicle arrived. He helped establish it as a volunteer. He said he’s glad the museum took the time to put together an exhibit for veterans.
“Well, I helped set it up, unloaded the vehicle, and drove it to the hallway. We actually helped tow the vehicle to the hallway and set it up here,” Petty says. “We had to choose which one would be best placed, one here, one there. So we finally got it set up and it turned out to be a very nice display.” I think it has.”
There are also military jeeps that can be modified to suit any need, including medical transport.
President Eisenhower called the Jeep “one of the three defining weapons of the United States during World War II.”
There are also anti-aircraft guns.
But the props create a completely different story. There is General Douglas MacArthur’s staff car. World War II vehicles have always been part of the museum. However, two cars are available for rent.
General John Pershing’s staff car from World War I is right next to MacArthur.
Another car in another private collection is General George Patton’s personal Jeep. The passenger seat is padded and the bonnet has a horn.
Petty says this represents the general’s outlook on life.
“He was allowed a lot of things, or he just did,” Petty says. “He was in charge. And he did what he wanted.”
The director of a museum here says the loan almost fell into his lap.
“I almost gave up on this exhibit,” says Phil McDougall. “I was at the museum and I happened to run into a guy who was enjoying our collection and we made small talk and he mentioned that he happened to have a George S. Patton Jeep. I spoke to a person, Tony Hara. Tony Hara has a collection in town. I spoke to his representative and he volunteered to bring a couple of cars here. Thank you.”
McDougall said this may be the first time the museum has dedicated a section to the military to honor the men and women who served, those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but it won’t be the last. He hopes to have a bigger exhibit next year and further tie-in with the Veterans Parade in downtown Reno.
Although the exhibit was created in honor of Veterans Day, the exhibit is open to the public until the end of November.
For more information: https://automuseum.org/
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