News from the 150th Anniversary of the Kansas National Guard Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        July 6, 2005
No. 150-05-006

KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD MUSEUM TO RECEIVE RESTORED TRUCK

The Kansas National Guard Museum, Topeka, will take delivery on Thursday, July 7, of a new piece of equipment - which, in the case of the museum, means an old piece of equipment.

The truck is a M-135 6x6 2 ½ ton GMC Cargo Truck of a type used by the Kansas National Guard.

"It would date from the latter part of the Korean War," said retired Col. Butch Dowse. He indicated that this type of truck was first used about 1952.

"This particular version had single wheels in the rear which increased performance since all wheels ran in the same track as opposed to current dual wheels which have to cut a new path from the front tires," said Dowse.

Dowse said the truck was called a "round-nose Jimmy" because of its untraditional rounded hood. According to Dowse, it was also the first military vehicle of its size to have an automatic transmission.

"Many cargo versions were used by the Kansas Army National Guard in the 1960s and 1970s," said Dowse. "Many of these trucks were also used with a van body, designated an M220, well into the 1980s."

Dowse said the truck was restored and refurbished over a period of about a year by the Kansas Army National Guard's Maneuver And Training Equipment Site (MATES) at Fort Riley.

The truck will arrive sometime Thursday afternoon and will join numerous other pieces of military equipment already on display outside of the Kansas National Guard Museum.

The Kansas National Guard Museum is a showcase for photos, documents, equipment, uniforms, weapons and other items from the Kansas National Guard's 150 year history. The museum is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday appointments can be scheduled for special groups. The museum is located at 6700 S.W. Topeka Blvd., (the main entrance of Forbes Field) Topeka, Kan. For information, call (785) 862-1020.

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