The Andrew Johnson National Park has decided to remove a machine gun from the National Cemetery that was donated by the American Legion Post 64 over 88 years ago.
The MG08 machine gun sat on a concrete pad near the entrance to the cemetery, but has been deemed a “potential safety-risk” by park management. Park Superintendent Aaron Shandor said that the gun in its current condition isn’t safe for visitors. Time and weather have worn some of the metal components and others have weathered and broken free.
Following the defeat of Germany in World War 1, thousands of the MG08s were confiscated by the allies and shipped back to the United States. As weapon design improved, the guns became obsolete and were mad available to museums, veterans’ organizations, and cities to be used as displays, monuments, or memorials.
The gun displayed at the Andrew Johnson Cemetery was acquired by the American Legion, Post 64, in Greeneville as military surplus, it was donated to the national cemetery in 1936 as a memorial to the American soldiers, who lost their lives in the First World War. The gun transferred to the National Park Service when it acquired the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in 1942.
A plaque reading “To Our World War Dead. Erected by American Legion May 30, 1936” remains on the pad. It’s interesting to note that it does not refer to the war as World War I. The monument was erected five years before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which marked the United States’ entry into World War II.
Sometime earlier this year, the park service decided to remove the memorial. The gun will be placed into storage until a decision can be made regarding what conservation work is needed, who can best perform the work, and a determination made on the eventual funding needed for that work. Also to be determined is how best to exhibit the gun in the future.
