Military relic a heavy load

A 49,000-pound M42 anti-aircraft tank, also known as the "Duster," challenged the efforts to move it to a new home in Jackson on Wednesday.

The tank was being moved by crane from a nearby storage area to its permanent home -- a concrete slab -- at the SPEC-OPS Plaza, an outdoor memorial exhibiting military equipment at 2387 W. Jackson Blvd.

Because the ground was damp from recent rain, the front end of the crane sank from the weight of the tank and the back end rose, temporarily rendering the crane helpless.

Dr. Charles Pewitt, owner of the memorial, said that after the tank was released from the crane, the crane tipped to the other side before righting itself.

"No one was hurt," Pewitt said, adding that the tank was moved to the concrete slab on the next attempt.

Pewitt said the M42 tank at his facility, part of a family of vehicles developed after the end of World War II, is the only one on display in the United States.

Around 3,700 Dusters were built between 1951 and 1956 and were used primarily in Vietnam for ground support rather than as anti-aircraft support. The tank continued to be used by the National Guard into the 1980s. It features a .30-caliber machine gun and 40 mm cannon.

Pewitt has committed 10 acres of his property to the museum, which is also the location of the Jackson Medical Center, where he is a physician.

The memorial also has an M551 Sheridan tank, an M114 command carrier from the Vietnam era, an M109 howitzer, three cannons from 1820s British warships and a Civil War cannon, to name a few, he said.

Pewitt is working on acquiring a Huey helicopter. He did buy one that was in New York but was unable to have it transferred off Manhattan. So he exchanged the Huey for other equipment.

Pewitt said he created the memorial to be a teaching tool for students and an interactive history lesson for visitors, who are not charged to visit the memorial.

He also hopes local businesses will get on board supporting the museum, saying the community will benefit.

"I didn't do this for financial gain," he said. "It's a patriotic effort."

Last January -- after two years of being told it wasn't likely to happen -- Pewitt received approval from the U.S. Army to proceed with his memorial. The certification he received allows him to buy demilitarized equipment. He has formed a not-for-profit organization to oversee the exhibit and has so far funded the project himself.

carel@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127