NDQSAAir Defense Artillery service during the Vietnam War
NDQSATO DO: Write a short text field explaining this new page on the website dedicated to photographs of static Duster displays located throughout the United States.
TO DO: Add a search bar capability so users can easily sort through the posts to find location and member
Garry Severin served in Vietnam with Delta Battery, 71st Artillery (Quads), 1970-71. He lives in North Ridgeville, Ohio and is an active leader within the National Dusters, Quads & Searchlights Association. In 2019 he and Danny Ross were invited to be a part of a Pledge Of Allegiance ceremony in front of the static display M42 Duster at the Columbia Stations, Ohio VFW hall. For many years the footage was broadcast by the channel 3 NBC affiliate TV station in Cleveland, Ohio as their morning sign-on. Address: 25742 Royalton Rd, Columbia Station, OH 44028
Warren LoCascio served in Vietnam with Delta Battery, 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery (Dusters), 1966-67. He lives in Jackson, New Jersey. He shared the picture on the left of the Duster at the Sayerville, NJ VFW Hall that he took sometime in the late 1990’s that was “down the block” from his niece. His comment, “Tried to get on, got yelled at!” Your webmasters checked it out with Google Streetview (picture on the right) and let him know that the members of VFW Post 4699 had put a fence around it to keep kids like him from climbing on it. Might have even seen a sign that said “Warren Keep Off the Duster” with a little frowny-face on it. Address: 575 Jernee Mill Road, Sayreville, NJ, United States, 08872
Pictures of this M42 Duster were taken by Jack Schaeffner, Delta Battery, 4th Battalion, 60th Artillery (Dusters),1970-71. He lives in Lafayette NJ. He was visiting his son in a nearby hospital when he stumbled across it on a bitter winter day during a deeply painful chapter for their family. It was just standing there in the snow on the grounds of the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Paramus —heavy, weathered, and enduring the storm. At the time, they were in the middle of a long, exhausting haul that tested every ounce of their strength. Seeing that machine hold its ground left him with a quiet reminder to do the exact same thing. Thankfully, the family pulled together and his son is doing well today because of his personal courage and strength of will. Address: 1 Veterans Drive, Paramus, NJ 07652
Your webmasters did a little research and found that for years this Duster was used by the Knights of Columbus to raise money. They would load that 44,300-pound Duster on a 37,000-pound flatbed and 600 volunteers flexed their muscles to move the antiaircraft gun relic 10 feet. The teams of 20 lined up for the New Jersey Knights of Columbus Annual Army Tank Pull competition on a selected Sunday in Clifton, NJ to raise money for wounded veterans.
Dave McCray, Charlie Battery, 4th Battalion, 60th Artillery (Dusters) and Echo Battery, 41st Artillery (Quads),1971. He lives in Oklahoma City, OK. Dave has been a consistent coordination link for NDQSA with the Air Defense Artillery School staff and leadership, the Air Defense Artillery Training Support Facility (ADATSF), and the Air Defense Artillery Association (ADAA). These are a collection of his photos.
The first six are of the static M42 Duster display outside Snow Hall, a major academic building near the intersection of Macomb Rd and Hanley Rd. This is a beautifully preserved display as evident in the photos. Address: Building 730 Snow Hall. Fort Sill, OK 73503
The last two are of the Duster in the Vietnam section of the ADATSF building. In the one on the left Richard Russell, G-Battery, 55th Artillery Quad 50 Caliber (MG), 1970-1971, of Tulsa, OK visits the Air Defense Artillery Training Support Facility. The picture on the right comes from a video taken by Dave McCray when he visited shortly after the ADATSF curator Correy Twilley completed the Vietnam section. Because of his interest in our activities and history, Correy is recognized as an Associate Member of NDQSA. The link to the video is through the button below. The ADATSF is a secure military training facility and normally is not open to the public.
Jack Schaeffner, Delta Battery, 4th Battalion, 60th Artillery (Dusters),1970-71. He lives in Lafayette NJ. His story is a fun one. “To my best recollection the picture (picture on the left) was taken when we were traveling to my nephew’s wedding and the first time for passing through Williamsburg Pa. So, it was me with a van full of family. I saw the Duster at the end of an intersection in a park like setting. I hit the brakes and made a quick U-turn and my family thought I was nuts. I yelled Duster! Parked and jumped out. My boys and daughter followed me out. Disregarding signage the boys were quick to climb up into the turret. Sadly, I did not as the old Duster seemed so much higher than in my day. I gave the family a walk around tour. I believe there was a placard saying that area iron mines had supplied the Duster’s armor. We made it to the wedding, and I had fresh memories.”
Your webmasters did our due diligence research. We found the Duster. Today the park has a children’s playground right next to it, so we suspect it still gets plenty of small feet in its tub. Sitting along a small stream, it is a frequent rest stop for hikers and cyclists exploring the 16.5-mile historic rail-trail caller The Lower Trail that follows the abandoned Petersburg Branch of the old Pennsylvania Railroad. We found other pictures, one with a plaque on the front hatch but could not enhance it to reading level. There is also a small memorial that appears to be dedicated to local Vietnam war dead. Address: Riverside Park in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania 16693
Tom Mahoney, Charlie Battery, 4th Battalion, 60th Artillery (Dusters), 1971. He lives in Quincy, Massachusetts. The left picture is of him during the 2018 NDQSA annual reunion in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The reunion scheduled a special tour to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, so many members may have pictures much like this one.
This Duster is special to us because it is part of their Vietnam display along the Army Heritage Trail. The picture on the right shows the Duster from the side with its Colonel Vincent J. Tedesco, Jr. Marker. The links below give full details. Address: 180 Army Heritage Dr, Carlisle PA 17013
Ed Travis, Bravo Battery, 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery (Dusters), 1971. He lives in Mobile, Alabama. The left picture was taken by his wife when they visited the Battleship Memorial Park on the western shore of Mobile Bay, in Mobile, Alabama. There are many heritage displays in this miliary history park and museum in addition to this Duster. The center pieces of this collection are the South Dakota-class battleship USS Alabama and the Gato-class submarine USS Drum. The picture on the right is of the USS Alabama and its friend, our little Duster. Address: 2703 Battleship Pkwy, Mobile, AL 36602.
NDQSA held its 2019 reunion in Mobile, Alabama. One of the trips was to the USS Alabama where our annual memorial service was held aboard the battleship and a wreath was launched into the water as part of the ceremony.
Information about the member, what about the Duster, what about the location, something unique to tell
Information about the member, what about the Duster, what about the location, something unique to tell
Information about the member, what about the Duster, what about the location, something unique to tell
Text information about the individual who visited, what was happening in the pictures, and the Duster location