Soldier flings fat raccoon that got stuck in Korean War-era tank on base

There are not many soldiers in the United States Army that have not heard the phrase, “don’t mess with the wildlife.”  In almost every safety briefing for an exercise that takes place outside, an NCO will remind soldiers -who have most likely tuned it out after hearing a thousand times-  the inherent dangers of the wildlife in their area.

Despite the warnings from briefings, posted signs, range control to not to touch or mess around with the wildlife there are always some soldiers who do it.

In this instance, the soldier appears to have taken some safety precautions (long leather gloves) but it’s highly unlikely that he is working an official “wildlife management” capacity.

The video, which was originally posted to YouTube in October of last year, states the raccoon was stuck in a M41 Walker Bulldog tank. The tanks were named after General Walton Walker and were first battle tested during the Korean War.  Designated as the M41 tank, they were later provided to US troops and the  South Vietnamese during the Vietnam from 1965 -1975.

It was not as popular with US armor crewmen (or well-fed raccoons in 2016) because of its tight space, but for the smaller Vietnamese soldiers the tank worked perfectly.

Due to its wide-spread use, it would be almost impossible to track down the location of this tank without a first person account of the incident. The M41 Walker Bulldog tanks are on display at U.S. military installations around the country.

But not knowing the tank’s location or the names of the service members involved does not detract from the hilarity of the situation.

The first person to attempt to rescue the raccoon, who was found stuck head first in a hole on top of the decommissioned tank’s driver’s hatch, lacked the strength to get the job done.

“He’s a little fatty,” he said, as he tugged on the raccoon’s hind legs.

A soldier proposes the idea of using dish soap or butter, to lube the raccoon in hopes of easing his release, but decides he does not need a complicated solution for a simple problem. The soldier mounts the tank and flings the raccoon to his freedom with one hard pull.

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