Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
(This video was originally published in 2018 on a different channel The Lansing Journal was using at that time. With the renewed interest in the M5 Anti-Tanks Gun due to the Legion Riders' Salute to our Servicemen ride on July 18, 2026 — see youtu.be/3VqZlfoT5NE?si=73pme9c58ANmEvu5 — we transferred the video to our main channel.)
** Music: Yellow (Sea of Fog) by Hanspeter Kruesi, used with permission: youtu.be/EYuoBRMkgOI?si=Uo9XZPOTb-cMp7BY **
LANSING, Ill. (October 20, 2018) – “We do what we can,” said Valerie Miller. “Especially for veterans.”
Miller is the owner of Millers Ready Mix in South Chicago Heights, Illinois, and one of her drivers is John Summit, a Legion Rider at Lansing’s American Legion Post 697. That connection led Miller to donate a truck full of Ready Mix so that the American Legion could have a new, larger concrete slab for the M5 gun displayed in front of their building.
The M5 was completely refurbished this summer, and the veterans wanted to upgrade the display area before the gun is returned.
The Legion Riders worked to prepare the site and build the form, and on Thursday afternoon, October 18, a Millers Ready Mix truck rolled up with 6.5 yards of concrete.
Legion Rider Keith Miller (not related to the Ready Mix Millers) is a special projects coordinator at US Steel, and he brought a crew of concrete finishers from the masons department to pour, spread, screed, and float the concrete. The men had agreed to volunteer their time, but US Steel chose to keep them on the clock and compensate them for the work. Miller said he chose "the best" for this special project: Joe Bishop, Robert Wright, Bill Walzak, and Theodore Tuscan.
From first pour to final float, the job took about an hour. With the concrete pad in place, further plans include surrounding the pad and the gun with ironwork. Former Post Commander Ron Line, who is serving as point man for the restoration project, would also like to install a story board with educational information about the gun and tributes to donors who helped cover the cost of refurbishing it.
A dedication ceremony for the refurbished M5 is being planned for Veterans Day, Sunday, November 11, 2018.
American Legion Post 697 is located at 18255 Grant Street in Lansing, Illinois.
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Is there something specific you'd like us to make a video of? Email info@thelansingjournal.org to let us know.
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The questionable politics of Thornton Township Supervisors Tiffany Henyard and now Napoleon Harris brought new viewers and subscribers to our channel, and we appreciate their interest in our local politics. But most of the news that happens in Lansing and other parts of Thornton Township is much less dramatic, though just as important. The Lansing Journal serves a diverse community and offers a diverse range of news — stories that are often overlooked by larger media. If you are interested in what local news looks like, subscribe to The Lansing Journal:
• Our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
• Our Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom, and we depend on support from viewers and readers in order to provide the journalism our community deserves. Visit the Donate page on our website to make a tax-deductible donation: thelansingjournal.org/donate
Every dollar goes directly into the journalism and helps support this local newspaper as we serve our community.
MISSION
The Lansing Journal is the only newspaper in Lansing, Illinois. Our mission is Building Community, and we fulfill that mission by keeping our diverse community informed and connected through local independent news that is freely accessible.
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
(This video was originally published in 2018 on a different channel The Lansing Journal was using at that time. With the renewed interest in the M5 Anti-Tanks Gun due to the Legion Riders' Salute to our Servicemen ride on July 18, 2026 — see youtu.be/3VqZlfoT5NE?si=73pme9c58ANmEvu5 — we transferred the video to our main channel.)
** Music: Yellow (Sea of Fog) by Hanspeter Kruesi, used with permission: youtu.be/EYuoBRMkgOI?si=Uo9XZPOTb-cMp7BY **
LANSING, Ill. (October 20, 2018) – “We do what we can,” said Valerie Miller. “Especially for veterans.”
Miller is the owner of Millers Ready Mix in South Chicago Heights, Illinois, and one of her drivers is John Summit, a Legion Rider at Lansing’s American Legion Post 697. That connection led Miller to donate a truck full of Ready Mix so that the American Legion could have a new, larger concrete slab for the M5 gun displayed in front of their building.
The M5 was completely refurbished this summer, and the veterans wanted to upgrade the display area before the gun is returned.
The Legion Riders worked to prepare the site and build the form, and on Thursday afternoon, October 18, a Millers Ready Mix truck rolled up with 6.5 yards of concrete.
Legion Rider Keith Miller (not related to the Ready Mix Millers) is a special projects coordinator at US Steel, and he brought a crew of concrete finishers from the masons department to pour, spread, screed, and float the concrete. The men had agreed to volunteer their time, but US Steel chose to keep them on the clock and compensate them for the work. Miller said he chose "the best" for this special project: Joe Bishop, Robert Wright, Bill Walzak, and Theodore Tuscan.
From first pour to final float, the job took about an hour. With the concrete pad in place, further plans include surrounding the pad and the gun with ironwork. Former Post Commander Ron Line, who is serving as point man for the restoration project, would also like to install a story board with educational information about the gun and tributes to donors who helped cover the cost of refurbishing it.
A dedication ceremony for the refurbished M5 is being planned for Veterans Day, Sunday, November 11, 2018.
American Legion Post 697 is located at 18255 Grant Street in Lansing, Illinois.
=====
Make sure you receive all the local news The Lansing Journal publishes, not just the videos! Subscribe to The Lansing Journal's Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
Is there something specific you'd like us to make a video of? Email info@thelansingjournal.org to let us know.
=========
The questionable politics of Thornton Township Supervisors Tiffany Henyard and now Napoleon Harris brought new viewers and subscribers to our channel, and we appreciate their interest in our local politics. But most of the news that happens in Lansing and other parts of Thornton Township is much less dramatic, though just as important. The Lansing Journal serves a diverse community and offers a diverse range of news — stories that are often overlooked by larger media. If you are interested in what local news looks like, subscribe to The Lansing Journal:
• Our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
• Our Daily News email: thelansingjournal.org/subscribe-from-youtube
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom, and we depend on support from viewers and readers in order to provide the journalism our community deserves. Visit the Donate page on our website to make a tax-deductible donation: thelansingjournal.org/donate
Every dollar goes directly into the journalism and helps support this local newspaper as we serve our community.
MISSION
The Lansing Journal is the only newspaper in Lansing, Illinois. Our mission is Building Community, and we fulfill that mission by keeping our diverse community informed and connected through local independent news that is freely accessible.
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/@lansingjournal?sub_confirmation=1
