[lbo-talk] "Army World" amusement park w/ tank, gunship rides

[B.]

"You can command the latest M-1 tank, feel the rush of
a paratrooper freefall, fly a Cobra Gunship or defend
your B-17 as a waist gunner," according to the
proposal, which was obtained by The Washington Post.



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http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/08/military.theme.park.ap/index.html

C'mon kids, let's go to Army World!

FORT BELVOIR, Virginia (AP) -- The Army is considering
a proposal to allow a private developer to build a
military-themed park that would include Cobra Gunship
rides and bars including a "1st Division Lounge."

Military officials said a massive entertainment and
hotel complex built next to a national Army museum
could draw more than 1 million people a year. But
authorities in Fairfax County are objecting because of
already traffic-clogged roads surrounding the proposed
site.

Universal City Property Management III, of Orlando,
Florida, submitted the unsolicited proposal for the
theme park last year.

"You can command the latest M-1 tank, feel the rush of
a paratrooper freefall, fly a Cobra Gunship or defend
your B-17 as a waist gunner," according to the
proposal, which was obtained by The Washington Post.  

County officials have no authority over the Army's
decision because the site is federal property. County
Supervisor T. Dana Kauffman said he thought the
entertainment concept died last year and said he had
no interest in turning a military museum into "Disney
on Rolling Road."

But the Army notified the county last week it is
planning to move the military museum from Fort Belvoir
to a site a few miles away that would be large enough
for the entertainment complex.