Iraqi/Soviet T72 tank captured during Desert Storm

Veterans Day ceremonies at The Museum of American Armor inside Old Bethpage Village Restoration included the dedication of a massive Soviet built T 72 tank captured from the Iraqis during the height of Desert Storm in 1990, when Allied forces defeated Iraq’s invasion of neighboring Kuwait.

Participating was Armor Museum volunteer Mike Justin of Oceanside who was a Royal Navy Able Seaman with the expertise of a mine clearance diver. During Desert Storm assigned to the incredibly dangerous job of clearing Iraqi mines from the waters of the Gulf of Hormuz.

The 40-ton T 72 is one of thousands built by the Soviet Union during the Cold War designed to confront NATO armor. During that era, the Soviet Union provided their allies, including Iraq, with battalions of T 72s for their military use.

The Desert Storm dedication is a joint effort by the Armor Museum and the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Museums.