Photo By Wilson Rivera | Families take an up-close look at an M1 Abrams tank during the 9th Annual Red White...... read more read more
Showcasing the “Boom” at the 9th Annual Red White and BOOM Fireworks Spectacular, spectators got the chance to get up close and inside an M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank and its crew during the July 4 Independence Day celebration at the Putnam County Fairgrounds in Cookeville, Tenn.
Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 81st Armored Regiment, 194th Armored Brigade joined Army recruiters to interact with the public and share their story. Soldiers traveled from the U.S. Army Armor School at the Maneuver Center of Excellence located at Fort Moore, Ga., (formerly known as “Fort Benning”) to support and promote recruiting efforts. This is part of the Total Army Involvement in Recruiting program that assists recruiters with Army personnel and equipment.
“We really appreciate the tank and crew coming out,” said Staff Sgt. Dakota J. Tallent, an Army recruiter assigned to the Cookeville Army Recruiting Station. “I really enjoy being able to help other people learn about the Army in the town I grew up in.”
As a local Cookeville High School graduate, people approach and ask Tallent about the military. He’s quick to share his Army story and tell about some of the opportunities his service has provided.
Tallent said he first completed some college before he decided to leave the smalltown mindset and do something else. Tallent enlisted to become a satellite communication systems operator-maintainer, responsible for all technical aspects of satellite equipment installation and operations.
“To make common sense for high school teachers and students, I take a computer with a small satellite dish to connect with another satellite miles away in space to receive and transmit internet signals,” he said.
Tallent was previously assigned to the 112th Signal Battalion (Special Operations) (Airborne) located at Fort Liberty, N.C., (formerly known at Fort Bragg). While in the Army, he used his benefits to graduate from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Networking and Cyber Security.
The tank and its crew were under the command of 1st Lt. Rachael A. Fokken, F Company commander, 1st Battalion-81st Armored Regiment, 194th Armored Brigade. She is an Ann Arbor, Mich., native who graduated from Central Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology.
Fokken later joined the Army. She attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Moore after Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, S.C. Later, she was commissioned as an Armor Officer.
“My dad was an enlisted guy in the 1990s, and growing up he always told us stories about watching these tanks on a hill shooting stuff,” Fokken said. “So, I grew up with all these stories and was like, ‘You know what,’ if I’m going to go in, I might as well play with the big toys.
Fokken requested Armor Branch and hasn’t regretted it since, she said. In 2016, female Soldiers became eligible to join combat arms branches.
The 70-ton tank was trucked nearly 350 miles from central Georgia and set up for display just in time for the fireworks display in Cookeville. In its ninth year, the festival features Tennessee’s second-largest fireworks demonstration to celebrate the nation’s birthday.
The massive weapons system was a big hit with the thousands in attendance at the festival. Spectators lined up to have their pictures taken with the tank and its crew. Many even crawled inside to check out the systems that make up the fighting vehicle.
| Date Taken: | 07.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2023 13:26 |
| Story ID: | 448619 |
| Location: | COOKEVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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194th Armored Brigadehttps://www.moore.army.mil/Armor/194th/
U.S. Army Armor Schoolhttps://www.moore.army.mil/Armor/
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