“I worked for ten years to find a cannon for the Courthouse lawn in order to honor our Blanco County veterans,” declared County Judge Bill Guthrie on Monday. “I contacted military bases all over Texas to see if they had any surplus cannons. When that didn’t pan out, I tried going through retired military officers but without success. I checked with Texas Surplus Property but that didn’t work, either. Finally, I contacted our U.S. Representative Lamar Smith and, in a matter of a few weeks, we’ve got our cannon!”
“Congressman Smith found a surplus cannon at the Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin. Apparently the museum had two cannons and only needed one. I was excited when the congressman’s aide called and told me to get in touch with the museum. County Commissioners Chris Liesmann and Paul Granberg went to Austin with a trailer, loaded it up and brought it home to Johnson City.”
The 3500 pound, 75 mm cannon is a vintage World War I model, used during World War II to train gunnery personnel. It was manufactured in 1926.
“They’re not releasing this stuff any more,” said Guthrie. “Most of the cannons that are shipped overseas seldom come back to American soil. Those that do find their way home are reduced to scrap metal. We are very fortunate to acquire this one. Now, all we have to do is agree on where to place it on the County Courthouse grounds. It will be dedicated to all those brave men and women from the County who have served in the armed forces of our country.”
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