Children run straight for the American Legion's tracked artillery gun in Wild Horse Park, crawling onto its hull and shimmying out onto its barrel.
Post 353 Commander Martin Weaver said years of children's play had taken its toll on the 8-inch Howitzer M110A2. The Vietnam-era tracked artillery gun is on loan for the American Legion Post 353's memorial from the Department of Defense.
Members decided last fall to get the tracked artillery gun refurbished in time for Memorial Day. Veterans are planning a public celebration in the park at 6:45 p.m. May 30. Honor guards and a band from the Oklahoma National Guard 45th Fires Brigade and the Army Reserve will be the guests of honor. The soldiers are assigned to the Mustang Armed Forces Reserve Center that opened in October.
Fires Brigade Commander Col. Percy “Sonny” Hurtado will speak.
“The goal is to recognize the guard and reserve who are now a part of our community,” Weaver said. “Part of getting them out here so the community can know who they are.”
Legion members plan to make the commemoration in the park an annual event, but Weaver said the tracked artillery gun needed repairs before the community get-together. He contacted the National Guard in October to find out who could get the repairs rolling, and it took until January to find the right track.
As the weather warmed, Weaver contacted officials again, asking for the project to be completed in time for the Memorial Day celebration.
Chris McWethy and crews from the Oklahoma National Guard Combined Support Maintenance Shop started work in late April only to find the project was more extensive than they expected.
He said they started by welding several open compartments shut and securing moving parts so the tracked artillery gun would be safer for kids to explore. Then they sanded down seven layers of paint, stripping it down to the bare metal.
Everywhere they turned, McWethy said they found a sign of how much the tracked artillery gun meant to the Mustang community.
“Somebody shimmied all of the way out to the end of the barrel, because there was something about 'Jimmy loves somebody' down there,” he said. “There was a big long love note painted on the barrel.”
Workers repainted the tracked artillery gun in a camouflage pattern similar to other howitzers of its era.
“They have been doing a good job,” Weaver said.
Several years ago, American Legion members set out themselves to restore the fighter plane that flanks the memorial in the park.
“I think the community ought to be proud of what is out here,” Weaver said.