Loyal Trucking of Milford delivered several pieces of World War II history back to Seward recently. They took on the mission of bringing a pair of Japanese anti-aircraft machine guns from the war to the Nebraska National Guard Museum. The weapons were on loan to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
The guns were captured by members of the 134th Infantry Regiment (the “Lost Battalion”) while fighting the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands during the war. The guns were in storage in the Nebraska National Guard Museum until 2015 when they were requested for the “Road to Tokyo” display at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
The guns were delivered in that year by members of the NENG Historical Society. The museum was able to find a pair in better condition for the display, and the mission was to return the guns to Seward. Enter Loyal Trucking of Milford.
The trucking firm has a great legacy with the NENG Museum. When it was Dawes Trucking, they delivered the 1913 Curtiss Model D airplane from Durango, Colorado, and the Gray-Marine Diesel “Higgins Boat” motor from the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
Part owners RaNae Muenchrath and Corey Stull were able to direct driver John Price over to New Orleans to a warehouse used by the museum. He was delivering a load to a town near the city. Loyal Trucking staff coordinated with Toni Kiser, curator for the museum, to pick up the guns and deliver them back to Seward. The 1,000 mile plus trip was event free, and the guns were returned to the NENG Museum without incident.
The guns will eventually become part of the PA31-17 “Higgins Boat” Exhibit.
