JACKSONVILLE, Ill (WICS) — Morgan County fairgoers are getting an exclusive look at World War II era tanks as part of salute the troops Wednesday night at the fairgrounds.
The event centers around WW2 Armor– a historical education group hailing from central Florida, with local ties to central Illinois.
But this may be one of your last chances to see the tanks in action. Newschannel 20’s Emily Jordan has the story.
WW2 Armor is shutting down, meaning Wednesday’s performance is one of their last.
The story began with Gary Hadden and Rabbi Rob Thomas, who went to high school together in Morgan County. Years later, Hadden, now the Morgan County Fair Board’s president, knew that Thomas had a sizable collection of WWII era tanks.
“I thought, what better way to pay tribute to our veterans and also to educate people on what those guys went through,” Hadden said.
Rabbi Rob Thomas is the man behind WW2 Armor. He’s a veteran himself who owns all of the tanks in the performance.
Thomas told Jordan that growing up, he heard stories from his family about what it was like to serve in World War II.
“And that really ignited a passion. I’m Jewish, and of course, World War II is a seminal moment for us. And so when people say, why would a rabbi collect weapons of war? To me, these are tools are liberation. This is what stopped the slaughter of my people,” Thomas said.
WW2 Armor’s tanks have taken them all across the country, and even across movie sets…from World War II reenactments to teaching the public about the real tactics and maintenance involving these massive machines.
But Thomas said it couldn’t last forever.
“There are seasons in life and seasons come and go. I’m at a point now where I have aging parents, I really need to focus on their care, our kids are just starting to do adult things and we really wanna spend that time with them,” Thomas said.
When asked about whether the tanks could return, this is what he said: “I think I will maintain enough of the collection that we will be able to put on a good show around Morgan County.”
Thomas said their team is full of veterans or active and retired military.
“We can let people know what it was like for the forebearers, and that they will carry that on by telling stories 20 years from now,” Rabbi Thomas said. “I would hope, that as people come out and they see these, and sorry, I get a little emotional–that you realize what those men went through and you take a moment to appreciate the sacrifice they made so that all of us could be here today.”
Despite this chapter ending, fair officials say they’ll continue to keep our veterans close to their hearts.
“We definitely would love to do [something like this] again cause I think it shows people’s appreciation for what these guys did go through. And you know, we’re losing a lot of our older veterans. And there’s hardly any guys left from WWII or Korea, and even Vietnam, we’re losing a lot of those guys too. So, we work closely with the Honor Flight in Springfield,” Hadden said.
As part of the show, Hadden said they’ll be collecting donations for Honor Flight– helping to offer veterans a free visit to Washington D.C. to visit Arlington National Cemetery and the capitol’s monuments.
Before the performance begins at 8pm, fairgoers can pay extra to see the tanks up close from 12pm to 4:30pm Wednesday. They’ll be able to talk to the mechanics and operators of the vehicles, learn more about their history, and ask questions.
Not all of the vehicles are tanks. The lineup includes a newly rebuilt Sherman M4 medium tank, a tank destroyer, a howitzer motor carriage, and more. In totality, Rabbi Rob said they offer what the American armored forces in World War II would’ve actually brought and used in Western Europe, and what they faced on the German side.
The performance begins at the Morgan County Fairgrounds at 8pm, but be warned–that includes loud booms, gunfire-like sounds, and fireworks.
Jacksonville and Morgan County Office of Emergency Management have put out warnings to the public on social media not to call 911 to report the event’s expected noise and keep the emergency lines clear.