Middlesex Township in Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Lieutenant Colonel Brent C. Bankus (Retired)

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 25, 2023

1. Lieutenant Colonel Brent C. Bankus (Retired) Marker

Inscription.

Lieutenant Colonel Brent C. Bankus (Retired). . , Brent Bankus started his twenty six year Army career in 1979 as a 2nd Lieutenant after completing the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program and graduating from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. He entered the Armor Office Basic Training Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he trained on the M60A1 Main Battle Tank and later deployed to West Germany. Stationed in what was known as one of the hottest places during the Cold War, 1st Lieutenant Bankus served with the 3rd Squadron 11th Cavalry Regiment, (the Black Horse Regiment) in Bad Hersfeld, West Germany., While patrolling the German border early one morning, 1st Lieutenant Bankus observed, "there was a lot of activity on the west side of the border; construction, farmers attending to their fields and the like. On the east side of the border, there was virtually no activity to speak of, no one in the streets, etc. It was then that I fully realized that communism was nothing but a totalitarian form of government that treated the population with contempt and hardened me to the realities of such a lifestyle.,

M60A1 "Patton" Main Battle Tank. The M60 Patton Tank was a second generation Main Battle Tank produced for the United States Army by Chrysler at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in 1960 and remained in service until 1988. Although the M60 was developed from the M48 Patton, it was never officially classified as a Patton tank, but regarded as a product-improved descendant of the Patton series. It served as the Army's primary tank throughout the Cold War and was replaced by the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank., Armor: 4.29 inches , Main Armament: M68 105mm main gun , Secondary Armament: M85 heavy machine gun - .50 caliber , Additional Armament: M73 51mm machine gun , Engine: Continental AVDS-1790-2 V12 air-cooled Twin-Turbo diesel engine; 750 horsepower , Transmission: General Motors, cross-drive, single-stage with 2 forward and 1 reserve ranges. , Maximum Speed: 30 miles per hour , Operational Range: 300 miles , Fuel capacity: 385 gallons , Weight: 107,330 pounds , Length: 30.94 feet with gun forward , Height: 10.73 feet , Width: 11.91 feet , Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader and Driver)

, [Caption:] , Two East German border guards patrol the eastern side of the wire mesh fence that divides the East/West German border near Fulda, West Germany. This would have been a common sight for U.S. Army Soldiers patrolling the East/West German border during the Cold War.

Brent Bankus started his twenty six year Army career in 1979 as a 2nd Lieutenant after completing the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program and graduating from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. He entered the Armor Office Basic Training Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he trained on the M60A1 Main Battle Tank and later deployed to West Germany. Stationed in what was known as one of the hottest places during the Cold War, 1st Lieutenant Bankus served with the 3rd Squadron 11th Cavalry Regiment, (the Black Horse Regiment) in Bad Hersfeld, West Germany.

While patrolling the German border early one morning, 1st Lieutenant Bankus observed, "there was a lot of activity on the west side of the border; construction, farmers attending to their fields and the like. On the east side of the border, there was virtually no activity to speak of, no one in the streets, etc. It was then that I fully realized that communism was nothing but a totalitarian form of government that treated the population with contempt and hardened me to the realities of such a lifestyle.

M60A1 "Patton" Main Battle Tank The M60 Patton Tank was a second generation Main Battle Tank produced for the United States Army by Chrysler at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in 1960 and remained in service
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until 1988. Although the M60 was developed from the M48 Patton, it was never officially classified as a Patton tank, but regarded as a product-improved descendant of the Patton series. It served as the Army's primary tank throughout the Cold War and was replaced by the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank.

Armor: 4.29 inches
Main Armament: M68 105mm main gun
Secondary Armament: M85 heavy machine gun - .50 caliber
Additional Armament: M73 51mm machine gun
Engine: Continental AVDS-1790-2 V12 air-cooled Twin-Turbo diesel engine; 750 horsepower
Transmission: General Motors, cross-drive, single-stage with 2 forward and 1 reserve ranges.
Maximum Speed: 30 miles per hour
Operational Range: 300 miles
Fuel capacity: 385 gallons
Weight: 107,330 pounds
Length: 30.94 feet with gun forward
Height: 10.73 feet
Width: 11.91 feet
Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader and Driver)

[Caption:]
Two East German border guards patrol the eastern side of the wire mesh fence that divides the East/West German border near Fulda, West Germany. This would have been a common sight for U.S. Army Soldiers patrolling the East/West German border during the Cold War.

Erected by

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 25, 2023

2. Lieutenant Colonel Brent C. Bankus (Retired) Marker

The United States Army War College; United States Army Heritage and Education Center.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles • War, Cold. A significant historical year for this entry is 1979.

Location. 40° 12.159′ N, 77° 9.491′ W. Marker is in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. It is in Middlesex Township. Marker is on Army Heritage Trail south of Soldiers Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Army Heritage Trail, Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Chief Warrant Officer 4 William F. Hale (Retired) (a few steps from this marker); The Army’s New 50-Ton Killer (a few steps from this marker); Reforger (a few steps from this marker); Team Spirit (a few steps from this marker); From Chu Lai to the Fulda Gap (a few steps from this marker); Cold War (a few steps from this marker); The "Duster" (within shouting distance of this marker); The M113 Family of Vehicles (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carlisle.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 2, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 2, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.