From: Hutterer, John - Deltec (john.hutterer@deltec.com)
Date: Thu May 09 2002 - 07:22:30 PDT
Steve,
Although it would be nice to think that some collector was having that M109
moved, I suspect that it was just the Army. I think that we would all be
amazed at the amount of money that the military spends each year on civilian
transport of heavy equipment. In September of 2000 I saw two M60 tanks, on
civilian tractor/trailer rigs, heading west through Pennsylvania. I assumed
then, and still believe, that they were US government property. That
is...unless somebody is aware of the government selling M60's to the public.
The "road rage" sign was a nice touch, but I wonder if the tractor/trailer
driver might have put it there? As to what one M109 was doing on its way to
Maine...who knows. It could very well be on its way to an Artillery unit up
there. It might have been on its way to some VFW post, for use as a
monument. There were two M109's sitting in the parking lot of a local
Reserve center for several months, about two years ago. I wondered what they
were doing there, and then one day they were gone. Turns out that they had
been rebuilt in one of the Reserve shops, and were just sitting there,
waiting for civilian transport trucks to come get them.
We can all dream, and I wouldn't mind waking up on day to find that I was
the owner of an M109, but I believe that what you saw was not a privately
owned piece of armor. I'm sure that somebody will correct me if I am wrong,
but I don't think that the government will allow something like an M109 to
be sold to the public.
John
-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Grammont [mailto:islander@midmaine.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 8:39 AM
To: mil-veh@mil-veh.org
Subject: [MV] Ok, who bought a M109 155mm SPG?
I was on my way north from Boston when I spotted a BEAUTIFUL sight... a
very good looking M109 on a civilian transport. It had a cute and cudly
sign hung on the left side saying:
"Road Rage"... Equalizer
Nice touch :-) The driver pulled off into one of the rest stops I was at
shortly thereafter. I was prepared to nab the driver and get the info
out of him about where it was going. But, apparently he just had a road
weggie or something because I saw him squirm around in the cab, then hit
the highway again. I followed him for a little while, admiring the ugly
brute (gun was facing backwards), then decided 65mph stinks when you
still have 2.5 hours of travel remaining. And that was the last I saw of
it.
So... anybody know who in Maine would be taking delivery of such a huge
beast? I find it hard to believe the Army would spend the money to send
ONE of these via commercial flatbed all the way up to Maine. I mean what
would it do up here for the Army? Protect our borders from Canadian deer
poachers? :-) I have a hunch where it might be going, but wanted to ask
the list first.
Thanks,
Steve
P.S. After paying $800 (today) for a Weasel part shipped from CA, I
don't feel so bad. That M109 must have cost a BUNDLE to move.
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