Iron Mike's Museum

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A few weeks ago my wife and I visited Iron Mike's Museum in the rear portion of the old farmer's market on 10th Avenue close to Victory Drive. This really was a special treat that more people should take a few minutes to enjoy. The museum supporters use their artifacts as a living museum, not a sterile display. This helps the group set their displays apart from many others.

The Columbus Antique Military Organization (CAMO) provides the displays and runs the museum. We had an opportunity to speak with Roy Collier, Larry Board, and Don Moeller who were at the museum working on a "new" truck and other displays. This group is dedicated to recognizing men and women on active duty as well as veterans by educating the public about that service through the use of vehicles and equipment that visitors can touch and handle, which is not always the case in many museums.

I enjoyed the visit because the CAMO members were so friendly and clearly enthusiastic about their hobby that had exploded into a mission to educate people. Seeing an old Gamma Goat truck brought back memories of my lieutenant and captain days at Fort Bragg and in Germany. The jeeps and ambulances spanned time from World War II to Vietnam. Uniforms and other equipment either there or in personal collections make it possible for various members of the group to set up displays showing aspects of soldiers' lives from the Civil War to operations today. Some of the members regularly participate in military re-enactments.

The building where the museum displays are housed is old. The group isn't in competition with the Infantry Museum or any other local area museum. The CAMO members want to provide people an opportunity to put their hands on equipment. They attend other events and often provide rides in the vehicles. Yes, they actually drive many of the vehicles, including the M114 armored personnel carrier (one of the members was impressed that I recognized it -- that just shows how old I really am).

When you attend the Thunder in the Valley air show this weekend, you should see some of the equipment from Iron Mike's Museum and a few of the CAMO members. I enjoy looking at airplanes, but except when I jumped out of them, my feet mostly stayed on the ground. Visit the Iron Mike displays because that will provide you the opportunity to put your hands on functioning, but old, Army stuff -- not too many chances to do that. The Web site is www.ironmikemuseum.org.

If you want to participate directly, I'm sure that CAMO would welcome new members. They gather every Wednesday at about 5:30 p.m. (that's 1730 for all of you old Army guys) at the museum to discuss activities. When you visit the museum, understand that this is a working group, not a pristine setup. The members are veterans who want to help people understand what being a soldier means. When you have a few minutes on a Saturday, visit the museum between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You'll probably see and touch some things that you won't see very often.

John M. House is a retired Army colonel who lives in Midland, Ga. His e-mail is housearmylife@aol.com.