1964 Cold War PZ 61 M60 Tank Plaque - Major General John K. Hester, RMM Company!

Description

This is a Walnut Plaque with an
Affixed
Toy PZ 61 Tank Presented to Major General John K. Hester, Commander, 17th Air Force at Ramstein AFB.
This little wooden pentagon is quite the curiosity and it has an identity crisis! Foremost, it is the total definition of a curio; small and quaint. Awarded to Major General John K. Hester, the lack of any unit designation due to the loss of the unit crest or DUI at the top makes this a rather difficult piece to place. It could be from any of one of the US units employing the M60 (of which the toy model is not) or the German Army Regiments that employed the PZ 61 during the time Hester was commanding the 17th Air Force at Ramstein AFB (1965-65).
Regardless, this little plaque has a nifty little model of a PZ 61 complete with traversing turret and elevating main gun! This tank model is definitely akin to a toy Hot Wheels and is sturdy in its build and function. 1/100? 1/87? Not sure of the scale with this one. The bottom of the tank indicates "PZ 61" and "RMM" within a triangle, RMM being the maker mark for the German company Roskopf Miniaturmodelle which was founded in Berlin in 1955 by Mr Marcel Roskopf.
The plaque is in good condition. There is no visible damage to the wood, green felt backing, mounting bracket, or the tank model save for the gun-barrel being slightly curved skyward. The bronze or brass placard has a mottled patina in line with age and storage in humid conditions. It reads "M60 Main Battle Tank - Presented to - Maj Gen Hester, USAF - 6 Nov 64"
Major General Hester's career began in 1938 and eventually took him to China where he flew 50 combat missions against the Japanese as a fighter pilot with the 14th Air Force, the famous "Flying Tigers." Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and Air Medal as a Squadron Commander, Hester later served on Curtis LeMay's Air Staff and became the Commanding General of the 17th Air Force at Ramstein AFB, Germany. His promising career was cut short when he succumbed to injuries resulting from a military parachute jump in April 1965. To learn more about General Hester's remarkable career, click on the attached video! This artifact has been entrusted to Heritage Arsenal for consignment by the family of Major General John K. Hester and has not previously been resident in any collection or museum.
See the below video for more information on Maj Gen John K. Hester
Remembering Major General John K Hester -\"Flying Tiger\" Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient
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