Skip to content
Victor Memorial Veterans Park
Features
Military Equipment Displays
DAV Memorial Brick Campaign
MSG Preston B. Johnson Chapter #39 of Disabled American Veterans is taking orders for memorial bricks to be installed at Victor Memorial Veterans Park in Greer. For more information on how to memorialize a family member or loved one, please view the order form.
About the Park
The Greer Chapter of Disabled American Veterans and the City of Greer began construction of the park in 1995. On Saturday, September 28, 1996 a dedication ceremony was held showcasing the granite monument with a bronze eagle atop. The park was completed by the end of 1996 with a waking path and a gazebo. The site includes benches honoring Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, South Carolina Vietnam Veterans and Prisoners of War.
Displays
A Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter and a Mortar Carrier were permanently placed on display at the park in 2003. Both pieces of military equipment were obtained through the Department of the Army, United States Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command.
Bell AH-1 Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is an attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. The Cobra is a member of the Huey family and is often referred to as the Huey Cobra or Snake was introduced in 1967. It has now been replaced by the AH-64 Apache in the U.S. Army. The United States Marine Corps utilized the AH-1 Cobra as a primary attack helicopter. Surplus AH-1 helicopters have also been converted for use in fighting forest fires.
Uses / Deployments
The AH-1 Cobras were used in the Tet Offensive in 1968 and through to the end of the Vietnam War. They provided support for ground forces and escorted transport helicopters. The U.S. Army chalked up over a million operational hours in Vietnam using the cobras.
The U.S. Marine Corps used the cobra in Vietnam. They were also deployed for Operation Urgent Fury, the invasions of Grenada in 1983; Army cobras participated in Operation Just Cause, the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the Gulf War, 1990-91, the Cobras and Super Cobras deployed as support. Army cobras were used for support in the United States humanitarian intervention during Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1993. They were employed during the United States invasion of Haiti in 1994.
The United States Army phased out the AH-1 and retired it from active service in March 1999 and retired the AH-1 from reserves in September 2001. In 2003, the United States Forest Service converted the Bell 209 into Firewatch Cobras for real time fire monitoring.
M106A1 Self Propelled Mortar Carrier
The M106A1 Self Propelled Mortar Carrier is an artillery piece in which a mortar is its primary weapon manufactured by FMC Corp. The payload capacity is 88 rounds, 90 U.S. gallons of fuel capacity and an operational range of 250 nautical miles.
Mortar carriers cannot be fired while in motion and some must be dismounted to fire. Provisions to allow the assembled mortar to be fired from inside the vehicle became the most common form of the mortar carrier.
In the United States Army doctrine, mortar carriers are used to provide close and immediate indirect fire support of maneuver units. The mortar carrier allows for rapid displacement and quick reaction to tactical situations. The ability to relocate these vehicles allows for fire support to be provided faster where needed and to avoid counter fire.
The more urban environment of Iraq made it difficult to use mortars. New technologies like mortar ballistic computer and communication equipment have been added.