Photo Southwest Airlines Spirit of New Orleans Magazine October 2009
A New Orleans highlight is The National World War II Museum. It Tells the story OF THE American Experience in the war that changed the world - why it was fought, how it was won, and what the war means today. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as the nation's official museum of World War II, it recognizes the courage and sacrifice that has helped freedom flourish.
Not everyone wants a Sherman tank for Christmas, but the National D-Day Museum did, and on a cold Tuesday night in December Santa delivered. The 66,000-pound World War II behemoth was trucked in under police escort for display in the museum's Louisiana Pavilion.
Optimist delivers a weighty donation. Club gives
WWII tank to D-Day Museum.
By: Susan Langenhennig, West Bank bureau, Times
Picayune
The Optimist Club of the West Bank has always been known for its generosity, but its latest philanthropic endeavor certainly tips the scales as the largest donation in the club's 32-year history.
That's no wonder, considering it weighs in at 66,000 pounds.
On Jan. 20, 2002, the club unveiled its donation of a M4A3 Sherman tank to the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. Club members beamed with pride as they posed for pictures in front of the hulking machine, originally named Goliath, that the Optimists purchased for $75,000 from a collector near Chicago.
The museum had installed the tank in December near the entrance and the famed Higgins boat, which helped the United States storm the beaches at D-Day. The floor beneath the tank had to be reinforced to support its weight.
"The Sherman tank was an extraordinary piece of military weaponry and was critical to our armed forces. It's something that our soldiers on the ground certainly identified with," said National D-Day Museum President Gordon "Nick" Mueller, who officially thanked the Optimists during a brief ceremony. "It's a real gem for the museum to have."
The tank is a rare find because it's in excellent condition, Mueller said. Although 33,000 Sherman tanks were manufactured between 1942 and 1945, many were destroyed or damaged heavily in the war. "With a little bit of effort, it could even be made to run," he said.
The Optimists got the idea for purchasing the tank after reading news articles about the opening of the museum in The Times-Picayune last summer, said Kent Ricks, a past president of the club who spearheaded the donation.
The museum, of course, was thrilled to have the Optimists' help, and with a donor in hand, museum officials began the arduous process of trying to find a tank that was in relatively good condition.
Ricks also helped research the issue. But as the months passed, and he and the museum officials chased disappointing leads, Ricks said he became discouraged as to whether the vehicle could be found.
"I had almost given up after the discouraging words I had heard from other tank owners. I found this guy in Dallas who did not want to sell it. There's just not that many of these lying around," Ricks said. "But being a true Optimist, I didn't give up."
The D-Day museum curator finally located the tank that the Optimists eventually purchased, Ricks said. It was one of many produced by the Ford Motor Co. in the 1940s.
The West Bank Optimists timed the tank's official unveiling with the club's state convention, which took place last weekend in New Orleans. With dignitaries from the Optimists Club's local, state, national and international organizations present, West Bank club president Robert Hebert proudly showed off his group's latest activity.
"The values we celebrate at the D-Day Museum are courage, sacrifice and teamwork, … and it took extraordinary teamwork to get something like this that the museum desperately wanted," Mueller said.
While members clearly were proud of the tank, Hebert was quick to point out that the vehicle is just one of the many "good works" that the club does each year.
Last year, for example, the West Bank Optimists spent $110,000 on children's charities and programs, including sponsorship of the West Jefferson Doll and Toy Fund and donation of new, state-of-the-art electronics scoreboards at the Oakdale and Nicholson playgrounds.
The club raises money for its charities by holding three bingo games a week at the Gretna Bingo Palace.
"We are really proud of all that we do for children," Hebert said. "That's what the Optimists are all about."