Operation museum: Pewitt's collection of military vehicles draws national attention

Dr. Charles Pewitt's growing collection of military equipment has been the result of determination, persistence and his own investment of time and money.

But an article featuring Pewitt and his collection in a national publication was a matter of chance.

John Adams-Graf, editor of Military Vehicles magazine, relocated to Jackson about two years ago and needed to find a new physician.

In the June issue of the magazine, Adams-Graf tells the story about an eventful Sunday afternoon drive during which he spotted an M109 howitzer tank stationed alongside a business building. Upon inspection, he discovered that the building was the Jackson Medical Center, where Pewitt conducts his family practice.

Adams-Graf knew he had found his new physician.

Pewitt remembers seeing Adams-Graf as a patient for the first time. Being a subscriber of Military Vehicles, Pewitt recognized the name of the man waiting to see him.

"I thought, 'I know that name,'" Pewitt said.

The article recalls how the two military equipment buffs bonded, as well as tells the story of Pewitt's collection and his SPEC OPS Plaza where he displays an assortment of tanks, cannons, missiles and other military equipment.

Pewitt said he started attending big national gun shows while still a medical student and made contact with individuals who sold military equipment. Among his first purchases were several 19th-century cannons. Later he acquired an Honest John nuclear missile.

When he started his medical practice in Jackson in 1987, Pewitt began to get the idea that accumulating military equipment might become more than just a hobby. He envisioned turning the 10 acres surrounding his Jackson Medical Center building at 2387 W. Jackson Blvd. into a place to not only display military equipment but also to honor veterans and to educate generations to come on the importance of the military.

"A lot of my patients were veterans," Pewitt said. "A lot of them have so much history they could share with us. A lot of them were in many of the big battles of World War II, like Iwo Jima and the Battle of the Bulge. ... I realized what an asset we have here with these people and what they have to help teach our younger generations. That's when I decided, 'Hey, I've got the land here. Let's make it happen.'"

But fulfilling his vision was going to require more than merely buying equipment from collectors. Pewitt contacted the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive Command (TA-COM), which handles the liquidation of decommissioned and obsolete equipment. He told them about his plan for SPEC OPS Plaza and asked about receiving equipment from them.

"They were very polite and listened to me," Pewitt said. Then they said, 'Hey doc, that's a great idea. But no use starting because it's not gonna happen.'"

Pewitt persisted, however. Three years later, he said, "they realized I wasn't going to quit."

Having invested a considerable amount of money in legal fees to set up a not-for-profit corporation and to meet the other requirements, Pewitt became the first individual ever to be certified by the Army to receive donations of equipment, which normally go to municipalities. He received his first shipment from the Army, an M114 reconnaissance vehicle, in 2006.

Having been certified by the Army for the equipment disposal program, Pewitt was also automatically approved to get equipment from the Navy and Marines as well.

The collection has grown to nearly 20 pieces, including several tanks, a Tomahawk cruise missile launcher, a Regulus cruise missile and a deck gun from the USS Arkansas.

Just because the equipment from the military is donated doesn't mean that there is no expense involved. Pewitt's contract with the military states that he must assume all the costs of transporting the equipment to Jackson, as well as costs involved in restoring the pieces.

Pewitt said he has received help from several community sources to help in the expense of restoring the equipment. Penzel Construction has provided space to receive and store the equipment when it is delivered, while other businesses have donated sand for sandblasters and paint. Concrete for the display slabs at SPEC OPS Plaza has been donated, as has specially fabricated metal required for some of the restorations.

While Pewitt estimates that thousands of people already visited the outdoor museum, he hopes that the buzz surrounding the opening of the first phase SPEC OPS Plaza in the fall will result in an influx of donations. He said because he has set up the project as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, donations are 100-percent tax deductible. He said all donations will go to acquiring and restoring new equipment for the museum.

Pewitt said he is confident that when community leaders and individuals see the value of the project they will support it, which will enable SPEC OPS Plaza to become a major military equipment museum.

"Since we've got a good start here, with more involvement, it's unlimited," Pewitt said. "We have 10 acres that we can develop into a full military park."