WEST POINT, N.Y. (Dec. 11, 2015) - The newly refurbished U.S. Military Academy at West Point Army Spirit Tank made its debut this year, giving Cadets and game-goers alike the will to win.
While miniature tanks have been popular over the years, the most recent model was created in the late '90s. With the rebranding of the Army West Point logo, the idea of restoring the tank came about this year with hopes of restoring spirit along with it.
Class of 2017 Cadet Samuel Martinez (Company A-3) was trying to find an individual study opportunity that would set him apart. After talking with Lt. Col. Josh Keena, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, the idea of revamping the Army Spirit Tank came about.
"I do a fair amount of motorcycle refurbishment and tinkering back home, so this project seemed like a natural fit," Martinez said.
Keena linked up with 2nd Lt. Roman Cacha, who graduated from the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering this past May, and would eventually become the project manager for the venture."I still wanted to restore the tank so I played around with Solidworks, and came up with an initial concept sketch," Martinez said. "Once we had something tangible to show people, the amount of support that we got from the West Point community was phenomenal."
What started as a small idea snowballed into a rather large endeavor. Cadets, some Mechanical Engineering majors, some not, wanted to work on the team. "About a dozen cadets worked very hard this fall to restore the Army West Point Spirit Tank," Keena said. "The main elements of the refurbishment included the body (turret and hull), cannon, track, cockpit, chassis, T-shirt launcher and, of course, the rebranding and decaling."
The Cadets who worked on the project were able to complete the tank both on time and below budget with the help of several agencies. The Directorate of Cadet Activities, Office of the Directorate of Intercollegiate Athletics, Department of Public Works, Transportation Motor Pool, the West Point Fire Department, the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering and the Center for Innovation and Engineering all supported the Cadets in any way they could.
"We are very grateful for the organizations for the tremendous support received with this project," Keena said.
The Cadets were able to apply their engineering skills and leverage prototyping equipment, all for the good of the Corps. "To date, the Spirit Tank has been at numerous home football games, the Army-Navy Sprint Football game and the Halloween parade," Keena said.
The tank was unveiled at the Homecoming game against Bucknell on Oct. 17.
The Cadets and Officers in Charge were acknowledged for their creative problem solving skills and their ability to get the project done efficiently.
What's next for the Army Spirit Tank? With the Army-Navy Football game right around the corner, the hope for risen spirits is upon us. The tank will be leading the parade as the football team boards the buses to Philadelphia today. What's more is that the tank will be taking a trip down to the City of Brotherly Love for the long awaited football game Saturday.
"The Spirit Tank is the spearhead for the Corps to rally behind," Martinez said. In addition to the Spirit Tank, the Corps continues to rally after the release of the "On Brave Old Army Team."
The trailer for the Army Spirit video was introduced on Dec. 1, two days after the Navy video release. It was written and produced by Class of 2017 Cadet Austin LaChance (Co. E-2). Just like the tank, the "On Brave Old Army Team" portrays Army Spirit like you've never seen before.
All in all, the message is the same: Go Army! Beat Navy!
Related Links:
U.S. Military Academy at West Point website
U.S. Army Garrison West Point website
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