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Soddy-Daisy to purchase tank for Veterans Park

Soddy-Daisy
Crane operations contractors in 2019 carry out a heavy lift and rig operation on an M48 Patton tank in front of Patton Hall at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C. Soddy-Daisy is obtaining a similar tank for public display. (photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Anri Baril)

The city of Soddy-Daisy is planning to acquire a tank to be displayed at Veterans Park. The city is considering tanks that were part of the recently decommissioned Fort McClellan near Anniston, Ala. While the city would not have to purchase the tank itself, the city would have to pay up to $22,000 to decommission the tank and any additional transport costs associated with bringing it to Soddy-Daisy. The U.S. Army makes tanks available for static display at museums and parks. Commissioners agreed to select a 1952 M48A1 Patton II tank and to spend up to $30,000 to decommission and transport the tank. The Soddy-Daisy-based Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 942 will oversee maintaining the tank and submitting necessary reports to the U.S. Army to show it is being preserved. The tank will join a UHI-B model helicopter and other memories to first responders and memorials to veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam at the park.