California Military Department State Military History & Museums Program

09/07/2026

We have many volunteer opportunities here at the museum, including hosting visitors, publicity, landscaping, exhibit work, and vehicle maintenance. You can volunteer on a regular or on-call basis, and certain work can even be done at home. If you're interested in helping, you can contact the curator at (805) 286-6431 or [email protected]. No military experience required.

09/07/2026

09/07/2026

ARMOR PARK. This diagram gives you a rough idea of what the new location for the museum's tracked vehicles is going to be like. We've posted photos in the past of some of the tanks and self-propelled howitzers being moved up there from the museum annex. It's a lengthy project, but it will definitely be worth all the work and wait in the end.

06/02/2026

Yesterday, 1 June 2026, our very rare Japanese Type 97 "Te-Ke" Tankette was installed in the lobby of the Headquarters, 40th Infantry Division, located on Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos.

This is one of two captured by the 40th Infantry Division in the Philippines and installed as war trophies on the central mall of Camp San Luis Obispo in 1948, and was removed for conservation in 2025.

Several years ago, the second example was transferred to the General George S. Patton Museum of Armor and Cavalry at Fort Knox and is now located at the US Army Armor & Cavalry Training Support Facility at Fort Benning.

We thank the US Army Center of Military History, the Office of the US Property and Fiscal Officer for California, the Restoration Team at the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, and the California Military Department Facilities and Infrastructure Directorate for the successful conclusion after two years of planning and conservation.