This impressive 12 x 11 foot structure is a M60 second generation Main Battle Tank, or MBT, and is decorated with a plaque on the side of the structure detailing the contributions of VFW Post No. 9305 of the Imperial Valley, who made the display of this piece possible. The piece is recognized as having been secured, transported, and established in its new home, the Pioneers’ museum, by the American Legion Post 9305 on October 30, 1997. The M60 tank series is an iconic piece of military history, having been standardized in 1959 as a derivative of the M48 Patton model, and serving as the primary American MBT during the Cold War, and seeing limited use during the Vietnam War.
The M60 had a great degree of versatility and a crew size of 4, garnering the moniker “The pig”, due to its hefty size and heavy weight. Production of this model series ended in 1983, but can still be found today, with its hull serving as the base for a number of combat vehicles, such as the M60A3 tank variant that began production in 1990. The M60 model has also found use in various foreign militaries in modern day, though not without significant alteration to improve upon the model’s poor firepower and mobility that could have a hard time contending with more modern tanks like the M1 Abrams.