I am not a vet, but I am a little disappointed...

So my friends and I make a pretty regular trip to West Point Kentucky for the semi annual Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot. It is just minutes away from Ft. Knox. Also on the campus of Ft. Knox was the Patton Museum. It housed lots of Gen. Patton archives and was an homage to the history of armor and tanks in the US Army. My best friend is the child of a retired soldier, and an amateur Army historian. We went in last weekend after the shoot to visit because my wife was with us for the first time and wanted to see it. We were very disappointed to find out that the armor and most of the enitre museum had been moved to Ft. Benning and will be reopened in "3-5 years". Apparently the Armor school is going there too. The soldiers there informed us that the Armored division that Ft. Knox is famous for is benig moved completely out of Knox, and it will be "an HR post". We were stunned. As another older gentleman bystander put it....a "useless post". Everybody that came in while we were there left, most angry. Such a shame.... I am sure there are many vets here that either went through basic there or had training there. Now it is a paper shuffling base. Very sad.

Sad fact of life...the military owns WAY TOO MUCH real estate (bases/posts/shipyards, etc) and needs to downsize...

It costs $$$ to keep them open...that's $$$ taken away from repairing/replacing equipment and paying people...

Not every installation will survive the chopping block...

I am headed to FT.Knox next week to start basic for 19D Cavalry Scout. Next year all the training for Knox is shifting to Benning. I will have to let my dad know the museum isn't really there anymore, my parents had put that on their list of things to do when they come to my graduation.

Must not be any gold left to guard

Goldfinger will have a better chance after the Armored division moves out. :smoke23:

They have been talking about this move for years. It really is not that big of a change since Knox is basically used for training only.

There have been many bases closed and units moved due to the BRAC axe as an example ever since the USAF took delivery of the first C-5 all aircrew training was conducted a Altus AFB, OK. When the C-141s were deactivated they picked up their training but the C-5 school was moved to Kelly AFB, TX and the aircraft moved to a reserve unit in WV. I was a flight engineer instructor in the 56 MAS Jumbo Country from 1984 until 1991 still miss the great people I served with.

Tribute to C-5 Galaxy Unit Jumbo Country: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpmO6wHYsf4

Amusing that they chose Benning (home of the infantry).

As an Army paper pusher myself, the move has cause great heartache. Human Resources Command (HRC) is moving there from St. Louis and as a result they are more useless than usual.

My MOS school intends to move there from WI. This is nice for me because I'm entertaining the idea of becoming an instructor some day (and I don't care much for WI).

Just got back from Ft Benning to see my son graduate Basic Training. The Patton tanks I would guess are on the Parade Field of the National Infantry Museum along with barracks, and other buildings from that era. It is a very nice display.
Other artifacts are inside the museum where they have all kinds of artifacts from all the different wars on display. The Patton exhibit is not open yet but the rest that are open are done First Class. This is a non-profit museum run with donations only. The place is so nice! Also at the Museum, they have a display with EVERY Bronze Star recipient with photos if possible. It is very humbling to be walking among all of these Heroes.:35::35::35:
If anyone is in the Ft Benning area, it is worth the trip to see the Museum, and no, you do not have to go through any checkpoints to see it.

Tim

These days with BRAC you should probably "call ahead" unless you know someone on active duty with all the latest information.

Armor isn't the only Museum moving, the Ordnance Museum is/has left Aberdeen PG and is moving someplace further south. (Ft. Lee?) Getting hard to keep up with all the changes.

Well, if the Patton Museum was a bust. I hope you at least enjoyed the MG shoot!

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Originally Posted by gasmitty

Well, if the Patton Museum was a bust. I hope you at least enjoyed the MG shoot!

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That is a big affirmative!!! It really is something a person should go see at least one time. This was my fourth.

Sad news but good info to know. I would love to see the Patton Museum and would hate to try to go see it and assume it's where it's always been but has actually been moved.

None of the bases I was stationed at during my 20 years are as I remember them. Some have closed forever, the mission of the rest changed and downsized. I watched the B-52s I worked on chopped up for scrap on the History Channel. It's a question of need and money. Most bases are left over from WWII and the Cold War and are no longer justified. What concerns me is what happens if the need ever arises again?

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I am not a vet, but I am a little disappointed...

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Disappointment seems to be an every day facet of life these days. Maybe it always has been, and even more than just simple disappointment. While we wish to honor and preserve the history, sometimes we fall under red tape that weighs more than it should.