College Station – On the southside of Aggieland, Santa’s Wonderland is one of the best-known Christmas attractions in the state. But just a stone’s throw from this huge holiday hotspot is a museum that celebrates those who give throughout the year. A place where honor, sacrifice, and service aren’t just part of being on Santa’s nice list, they’re a part of who these people are. The Museum of the American GI.
Leisha Mullins is one of the founding members of The Museum of the American GI which was founded in 2001. Her husband, Brent, is big on military history and owns a parts company for military jeeps, and on the side, he likes to rebuild military vehicles, especially tanks. The collection exploded, and now these massive machines are the centerpiece of the museum. “Each of these are fully restored and it takes about two years at least to restore them.” Does he do it himself or does he have help? “He restores most of it himself. Occasionally he has help, but overall, most of it is things he has done.”
These tanks don’t just look immaculate, they also run perfectly. Everything in the museum is fully operational except for the helicopter. But this museum offers an experience you won’t find many places – the chance to ride in a tank. A few times a year, these restored Shermans tromp through the terrain like they did back in the day. “It gives us a chance to bring history alive to people to actually see it, other than just the static displays,” said Leisha.
Even veterans come to relive what it was like to be in these powerful machines. One of those veterans was George Ruth, who entered the service right before his 15th birthday in 1943. “It was his 93rd birthday. He was in the 93rd division, which was a segregated division in World War II. And his son brought him to the museum to celebrate his birthday,” Leisha said. “We put him on the half track and he rode on the half track. And I might not have done that if he had told me before I put him on the half track that in World War II, he fell off a half track and broke him shoulder. But he loved it.”
The museum also has the only operational French Renault in North America. Other World War I tanks didn’t have a rotating turret, but this one is the first one to have the rotating turret. It also has another unique feature – the front wooden wheel.
Another stunning exhibit is a tribute to Texans who never made it home from Vietnam. “There is one dog tag for every Texas veteran that was either killed in action or missing in action in Vietnam. There’s 3,417 dog tags,” Leisha explained. “It’s meant to be tactile. It’s meant for people to go up and touch it. It’s meant for people to go in and look because it has the person’s name on it. It has their hometown. It has their branch of service, and it has a date. That date is the date that they were either killed or the date that they were missing in action. It’s a very, very special exhibit because again, it helps me when I’m talking to kids and we can look at it and go, “No, not everyone comes home and so we need to honor our veterans and thank them.”
Riding in the tanks and remembering those who served is part of that experience. But it all culminates with a firing salute that rocks the entire region.
Honoring veterans while learning about their incredible contribution to our country and taking a tank ride make the Museum of the American GI a stop to salute on The Texas Bucket List. And, as always, thank a veteran for their service.