The Tank Museum

Another work trip called us to Daugavpils, Latvia's second city, far to the East. It was a fun trip, accompanying the Ambassador to the dedication of a children's welfare center that was one of many humanitarian projects in the region funded by the U.S. Military. Between the ceremony and other meetings, we got a tour of a privately owned tank museum. It was a collection of a dozen or so tanks, armored personnel carriers, and artillery pieces, all crammed into one big garage. The most interesting thing is that as the collection is privately owned, and apparently the tanks still work, not all that long ago the owner would occasionally take one out for a spin in the streets. There was never a moment for your correspondent to be photographed in his business suit popping out of one of the tanks as it rolled along, Dukakis-style. Perhaps it was for the best that way.