Video screenshot

Fireworks, festivities and fanfare all are fine to celebrate the 4th of July, especially the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.

But not quite good enough for one Wyoming museum.

There, at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, operators spent their Friday driving military tanks over cars, crushing them, to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers.

“What’s more American than machine guns and tanks crushing cars,” owner Dan Starks explained.

His celebrations were documented by the Cowboy State Daily, where a video of the stunts was posted:

The report explained, “The tanks were heralded first by the echoing rat-a-tat-tat of artillery over the hills of Dubois, thrilling a crowd of hundreds that gathered to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary by watching these rumbling 42-ton tanks show off.”

Starks said, “Our thinking was this doesn’t have to just be solemn. It can also be fun.”

“You see the crowd we’ve attracted with this kind of family fun,” he told the publication. “So, because of that, the messages we’re delivering about the genius of our founding fathers is going to reach more ears, because we created a fun event, instead of just saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to be giving some lectures.’”

The star was an 80-year-old M4 Sherman tank, mainly used by the U.S. and allies during World War II.

“One, it has steel tracks, and so those tracks are quite a bit less likely to be damaged driving over a car — driving over steel with the potential of sharp edges,” Starks said. It’s also why it’s not used in parades, as the tracks can tear up road surfaces.

The “co-star” was a 1981 German Leopard tank, one in a series of premier main battle tanks developed by Krauss-Maffei, now KNDS Deutschland GmbH & Co.

Driver Tom Hartman said it was a hit-and-run type of attacker, with smoke screen capabilities to escape.

Hartman pointed out the massive threat such tanks provide.

“It’s a 42-ton machine that can go up to 45 mph,” Hartman said. “You do not want that going through anything out here, because you’re not going to feel it if you hit something.”

The report explained, “For all the roar and spectacle, though, Starks is clear that the point of the event wasn’t just entertainment. He paired the fun with new exhibits as well as with a few lectures, including a reflective talk from Starks on what he called — to a round of applause and cheers — the ‘genius’ of America’s Founding Fathers.”

He explained knocking down bad government isn’t hard, but “dreaming up a system that would be better than tyranny from a monarchy, or the equally bad: tyranny by a majority” was the goal.

He said most governmental plans overlook the most important part of the U.S. Constitution, that all men are created equal.

“That’s where the genius of the Founding Fathers comes in,” Starks said. “They invented something that hadn’t existed before, and it’s called a constitutional republic.”

Bob Unruh

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is currently a news editor for the WND News Center, and also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh's articles here.