In keeping with a history of naming weapons and vehicles after deadly adversaries, the U.S. Army 1st Armored Division has recently named one of its cannons “CORONAVIRUS,” after the deadly global pandemic that continues to spread.
The Fort Bliss, Texas-based unit shared a photo of the cannon over the weekend on Twitter. Task & Purpose was the first to report on the 1st Armored Division’s picture on Saturday.
ALWAYS VIGILANT!
We’re taking preventative measures in the field as we continue to train and protect the safety of our Soldiers and Leaders.
As a force we must stay alert as we train to be lethal in combat.#IronSoldiers #BulldogBrigade #COVIDー19 #IIICorpsCOVID19 pic.twitter.com/V79CftGvf1
— 1st Armored Division (@1stArmoredDiv) March 14, 2020
The newly dubbed cannon appeared to be the 155 mm main gun on an M109 self-propelled howitzer, a tracked artillery piece.
The 1st Armored Division showed off some of its other firepower in recent tweets, including this slow-motion footage of a 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division tank firing its main gun during training.
Lethality……..in slow motion!
🎥 by @usarmy 2nd Lt. Norris, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division#Lethality #SundayThoughts #IronSoldiers #SundayVibes #TrainedAndReady #SundayFunday pic.twitter.com/1SgHwHuova
— 1st Armored Division (@1stArmoredDiv) March 15, 2020
The 1st Armored Division has had some fun with naming their armored vehicles in the past. 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, named one of their tanks “Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson” after the WWE wrestler turned movie star.
The U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry recently named one of their M1 Abrams tanks “Baby Yoda” after a popular Star Wars television series character commonly referred to by the same name.
#MayTheForceBeWithYou!@3rd_Infantry M1 Abrams armored track vehicles are aligned and ready for inventory after loading operations concluded on the American Roll-On Roll-Off vessel, for #DefenderEurope 20 in Savannah, Ga.
Photo by Pfc. Daniel Alkana#Ready2Fight pic.twitter.com/mx5EIVEEIH
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) February 20, 2020
The U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division also named one of its M1A2 Abrams tanks in homage to martial-artist and movie-star Chuck Norris, after Norris went to Fort Hood, Texas to film a show featuring the tank.
This afternoon, #IRONHORSE Troopers from 2-8 CAV had the honor to work with THE Chuck Norris. He came to Fort Hood to film a show that will feature the M1A2 Abrams tank. It was our pleasure to host this production. We’ll keep you posted when the episode will air! #LiveTheLegend pic.twitter.com/qAIKg2Is62
— 1st Cavalry Division (@1stCavalryDiv) May 15, 2019
The recent coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19, has resulted in over 200,000 cases globally and 8,724 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s case tracking map.
