The US Veterans Memorial Museum has examples of all three variants of the M151 Military Utility Tactical Truck (MUTT) manufactured by Ford Motor Company. The vehicle pictured, the M151A1 was used by the Marines in 1967.
The PBR, or Patrol Boat River was used extensively from 1966 through 1971 by the United States in the Vietnam War. Having a very shallow draft and a unique jet drive (Jacuzzi) they were ideal for patrolling rivers in Vietnam in an attempt to disrupt weapons shipments. They were also utilized to quickly insert or extract special forces, such as Navy SEALs, along river banks. Because of their relatively lightweight construction these boats could be air transported by helicopters when necessary.
The U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum is proud to pay tribute to the men and women of the United States Navy's Construction Battalion, or "Seabees" with our Caterpillar D6. This particular example was produced in 1962 (a Vietnam war era veteran) and was previously on display at Seabee unit NMCB24 near Redstone arsenal until they were then decommissioned.
3922 of these lightweight jeeps were produced for the Marine Corps between 1960 and 1963. Designated the M422, these jeeps had an all aluminum body and an air cooled engine which helped keep their weight down to about 1700 pounds.
The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine, single-rotor, military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. Bell Helicopter manufactured the OH-58 for the United States Army based on its Model 206A JetRanger helicopter. The OH-58 has been in continuous use by the U.S. Army since 1969.
The M113 is a lightly armored, full tracked, air transportable vehicle designed to carry personnel and cargo.The vehicle is built from high strength aluminum and can operate both on and off road and in water. The M113 was designed to carry infantry into the battlefield where they would dismount for combat. The M113 was developed and produced by Food Machinery Corporation. The aluminum hull made the vehicle light enough to air transport and moderately amphibious, yet provided protection for the crew against small arms fire.
The M114 Command and Reconnaissance Carrier is a Vietnam War-era tracked armored fighting vehicle, used by the United States Army. It was manufactured by the Cadillac Division of General Motors in the early 1960s. The M114 was designed to be fast and stealthy for use in the reconnaissance role.
The Bell Ah-1S Cobra was used primarily for close air support of ground troops and also as an attack helicopter against armored formations. Highly maneuverable, heavily armed, the Cobra was well designed for its mission.
The U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum's M274 A2 Mechanical Mule was manufactured in 1967 and came from Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow in California. The nomenclature for this vehicle is: “Truck, Platform, Utility, 1/2 ton 4x4” or "Carrier, Light Weapons, Infantry, half ton 4x4”. It is also known as the "Military Mule".
The M48 Patton tank saw service from 1953 through the 1990s. They were eventually phased out by the M60 tank which began production in 1961. The U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum’s example saw service with the United States Marine Corps in 1958.
This helicopter (63-3794) was flown in Vietnam by Warrant Officer Robert Mason, (author of “Chickenhawk”), and has been restored bearing the markings of the helicopter at that time. This helicopter was used in the movie "We were Soldiers" and flew in the actual battle depicted.
The M42A1 “Duster” is a self propelled, tracked anti-aircraft weapons platform. The Duster was produced by General Motors Corporation for the US Army from 1952 through 1960 and remained in service until 1988. The Duster was more frequently and effectively used against ground targets. The Duster was employed by the US Army in the Korean War and later in the Vietnam War. The M42’s twin 40mm Bofors cannons provided devastating firepower making the vehicle highly favored in convoy protection, and perimeter defense.
The H-13 was the Army's version of the highly successful Model 47 light utility helicopter. It was used for a multitude of missions during its years of service, but it's best-known mission was the swift evacuation of casualties from the battlefield during the Korean War.
The M24 Tank was used in WW II, Korea and the Vietnam War.
The Light Battalions of US Armored Divisions were initially filled with M3A1 and M5 Stuart tanks, however, on the battlefields of North Africa it was realized that these were disastrously under armored and gunned, and a replacement, or the abandonment of light tank doctrine, was desperately needed.
