It is the coldest day of the year so far, and I am doing my best General Patton imitation as I stand on the commander’s chair of a tank, popping my head out of the turret as we patrol the frigid tundra of Oshawa.Despite my best attempt at faking it as a “tough guy in the army,” it is clear I am a lot closer to Mash’s Radar O’Reilly than Rambo, as my hands feel frostbite setting in while I excitedly try to record a smartphone video on my ride in a Leopard 1A5 tank at the Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum. I thought a childhood obsessed with G.I. Joe, countless hours playing shooter games on various video game consoles and an excellent knowledge of Hollywood action movies would prepare me for what would be a quick joy ride in an actual tank. I was dead wrong. It was way better than I could have imagined and an absolutely awesome thrill ride.Jokingly described as “the best kept military secret in southwestern Ontario,” the Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum is also known colloquially as the “Tank Museum,” as it has the largest collection of operational historical military vehicles in North America, including two M4 Shermans, American M60s, the Soviet BMP1, German-built Leopard — which was designed by Porsche — and many more. The museum hosts and organizes “Tank Weekends” and offers other experiences that let people take a spin in this behemoths.Not far from the Oshawa Executive Airport, the museum has a small building with historical displays, replicas and information. It is when you walk out into the large warehouse space, called the Military Vehicle Conservation Centre, where it is really breathtaking as there are so many vehicles sandwiched in together, with so many tanks, armoured personnel carriers, vintage motorcycles and other vehicles. “We have over 80 vehicles that are operational, and probably about 20 or 30 that are prime candidates to be restored,” says Matt Rutledge, operati ...
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