Eastpointe museum celebrates new tank

EASTPOINTE — Following years of fundraising, the Michigan Military Technical and Historical Society’s tank has arrived.

“It’s just a relief,” said Chris Causley, the society’s president. “The day we moved it, I was so stressed out because I envisioned everything going wrong.”

Fundraising efforts for the tank started at least 10 years ago, Causley said. In September 2025, the museum received the tank on loan from the U.S. Army Static Display Program. 

“It’s a process. … It’s a pain in the butt,” he said.

Fundraising efforts — the museum’s viral Operation Buy A Tank campaign — only raised $1,200, according to a press release from the museum. Since the initial campaign, the museum was able to raise between $7,000 and $8,000, Causley said.

The tank is an M8 armored gun system, which was an American light tank concept developed in the 1980s that was designed to replace the M551 Sheridan, but it never did, as the Army canceled the program in 1996.

In addition to constructing a concrete pad for the tank, the museum is required to fully decommission it — making the tank’s drive onto the concrete platform its last.

“I’ve had a group of guys that have been helping me, and we disabled the engine,” Causley said. “Which was sad, because it’s a supercharged Detroit Diesel V-8 that had, like, 1,300 hours on it, that purred like a kitten.”

Of the money that was raised, Causley said about $5,000 went toward pouring the concrete pad and transporting the tank. The museum originally anticipated spending about $10,000 on the project, but because the tank could drive and they found a company willing to pour the concrete for less, they saved some money, he said.

“We originally thought moving the tank was going to cost about $10,000, and that was based on some of the early estimates. But the fact that the tank ran, that lowered the cost of the transport because we could drive it on and off the transport,” he said. “We also got a really good deal on the concrete pad.”

To receive the tank, the museum had to submit a proposal showing how it would disable each system. The last step, Causley said, will be to weld the hatch shut. The remainder of the funds raised will go toward completing the decommissioning of the tank and restorative efforts, such as giving it a new coat of paint, Causley said.

“It’s about 90% done as of right now,” Causley said. “There’s a couple things I still have to finish up on it, but as of right now, the engine is disabled, the fire control system is disabled. That’s the big stuff.”

In addition to receiving the tank, the museum also installed a new flagpole. Both were commemorated at a dedication ceremony Oct. 17.

“We are very excited. We have the tank, and then I have to also note that we have a flag,” said Wendy Richardson, a board member at the museum. “We’ve been working on that for a long time.”

The museum is currently seeking volunteers to help maintain the tank, doing chores such as helping to paint it and keep it clean.

The museum is located at 16600 Stephens Road in Eastpointe. For more information on the museum, visit mimths.org. A video of the tank’s final drive can be seen on the museum’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

Call Staff Writer Brian Wells at (248) 291-7637.