M-60A3 Tank at the Johnny Ro Veteran's Memorial Park - Leominster, Massachusetts USA
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N 42° 31.202 W 071° 43.592
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Named in memory of PFC Jonathan Roberge, this military memorial park honors Massachusetts soldiers who gave their lives during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and features an M-60A3 tank, sculptures, and a list of the fallen on blast walls.
Waymark Code: WM10KPJ
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/23/2019
Views: 5
Leominster, Massachusetts native and tank driver PFC Jonathan R. Roberge was killed in action in Mosul, Iraq, on February 2, 2009 along with four other men. Johnny's family wanted to honor his memory and military service with a park and include an actual tank to honor his military profession. The idea grew to incorporate all Massachusetts soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The park features a decommissioned M-60A3 tank courtesy of a North Carolina National Guard Armory. A set of four sculptures -- with the helmets and boots of fallen soldiers hanging from rifles stuck in the ground -- line the short walkway to the tank. Continuing along the main sidewalk, visitors pass between parallel blast walls -- the re-creation of a safe landing zone in Iraq used by government officials. One wall is covered with over 100 photos of the fallen men and women, and includes each person's name. Beyond the walls, the sidewalk gently slopes and bends around to bring guests face-to-face with a life-sized statue of a kneeling Jonathan. As a tribute, his younger brother posed for the sculptor.
Since the soldier Roberge was trained as a tank driver, the [Johnny Ro Veterans Memorial Park Committee] decided that the only truly fitting tribute would be a real, decommissioned tank. The group began petitioning the Army and after two years of nagging, were finally given possession of a sturdy piece of rolling thunder courtesy of the North Carolina National Guard Armory in North Carolina. Thanks to the charity of local businesses and vets, the M-60A3 tank was transported to Massachusetts and refurbished not as a vehicle of battle, but as a reminder of its cost.
The tank was unveiled in 2011 to hundreds of onlookers who were surprised by the slogan, “I’m Kind of a Big Deal” emblazoned on the tank’s main barrel, a favorite saying of Roberge’s.
SOURCE: Atlas Obscura
The park sits on about an acre of land situated along Mechanic Street and adjacent to the Nashua River. It is easily accessible via I-190.