PETERSBURG - Gereald Bland had no inkling that his decision to restore a World War II-era Jeep 25 years ago would lead to his buying and restoring enough military hardware to fill a museum.

The owner, operator, curator and chief tour guide at Top Kick's Military Museum on the outskirts of this Grant County town isn't disappointed that's the way things turned out, though.

"I enjoy meeting the veterans and other interested people who come in and take a look," said Bland. "I'll keep on adding items to the museum - but maybe I'll stop adding new buildings."

Bland, a native of Seneca Rocks, served in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1971, including two tours in Vietnam and stints in Alaska and Germany. He retired as a first sergeant, or "top-kick," as the rank is unofficially known, with a Bronze Star for meritorious service as a combat engineer in Vietnam.

He moved back to West Virginia and immediately launched a second 21-year career, this time as a fish hatchery worker for the Division of Natural Resources.

After restoring the 1945 Ford-manufactured Jeep he found in a nearby hayfield and acquired in 1982, Bland and his wife, Virginia, began hitting the car-show circuit with the vehicle, where new leads on other pieces of military rolling stock kept turning up.

"When we found something we liked and we had the money, we bought it," Bland said.

Today, Top Kick's Military Museum is home to more than 40 restored military trucks, Jeeps, ambulances and tracked vehicles.

There also are artillery pieces, rifles, carbines, amphibious landing craft, training bombs, gas masks, helmets, flight suits and uniforms from around the world.

"We have stuff from the Civil War time up to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. Many of the smaller items are donated, leading to a wide-ranging and eclectic collection. Bland said he has yet to turn down a donation. "If you don't take it, later on they may not offer you something you want a lot more."

The Blands have traveled far and wide to pick up pieces for their museum. To retrieve a 106-millimeter recoilless rifle they bought to fit a mounting on a recently restored 1952 Jeep, the couple drove to Montana, loaded the artillery piece in their van, and drove home. "We had six inches of room inside the van to spare," Bland said.

On another occasion, the Blands secured a recently bought Air Force practice bomb to the roof of the van for the trip home, drawing puzzled stares from other motorists.

Bland found an Army dump truck for his collection in a potato field in Barbour County, and bought a World War II era Buffalo LVT (landing vehicle, tracked) from a chemical plant near Parkersburg, where it had been used to service company-owned water wells along the Ohio River.

PETERSBURG - Gereald Bland had no inkling that his decision to restore a World War II-era Jeep 25 years ago would lead to his buying and restoring enough military hardware to fill a museum.

The owner, operator, curator and chief tour guide at Top Kick's Military Museum on the outskirts of this Grant County town isn't disappointed that's the way things turned out, though.

"I enjoy meeting the veterans and other interested people who come in and take a look," said Bland. "I'll keep on adding items to the museum - but maybe I'll stop adding new buildings."

Bland, a native of Seneca Rocks, served in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1971, including two tours in Vietnam and stints in Alaska and Germany. He retired as a first sergeant, or "top-kick," as the rank is unofficially known, with a Bronze Star for meritorious service as a combat engineer in Vietnam.

He moved back to West Virginia and immediately launched a second 21-year career, this time as a fish hatchery worker for the Division of Natural Resources.

After restoring the 1945 Ford-manufactured Jeep he found in a nearby hayfield and acquired in 1982, Bland and his wife, Virginia, began hitting the car-show circuit with the vehicle, where new leads on other pieces of military rolling stock kept turning up.

"When we found something we liked and we had the money, we bought it," Bland said.

Today, Top Kick's Military Museum is home to more than 40 restored military trucks, Jeeps, ambulances and tracked vehicles.

There also are artillery pieces, rifles, carbines, amphibious landing craft, training bombs, gas masks, helmets, flight suits and uniforms from around the world.

"We have stuff from the Civil War time up to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. Many of the smaller items are donated, leading to a wide-ranging and eclectic collection. Bland said he has yet to turn down a donation. "If you don't take it, later on they may not offer you something you want a lot more."

The Blands have traveled far and wide to pick up pieces for their museum. To retrieve a 106-millimeter recoilless rifle they bought to fit a mounting on a recently restored 1952 Jeep, the couple drove to Montana, loaded the artillery piece in their van, and drove home. "We had six inches of room inside the van to spare," Bland said.

On another occasion, the Blands secured a recently bought Air Force practice bomb to the roof of the van for the trip home, drawing puzzled stares from other motorists.

Bland found an Army dump truck for his collection in a potato field in Barbour County, and bought a World War II era Buffalo LVT (landing vehicle, tracked) from a chemical plant near Parkersburg, where it had been used to service company-owned water wells along the Ohio River.

One of Bland's high points as a collector took place in 1994, when he was asked to provide a Vietnam-era Jeep for use in the movie "Major Payne," starring Damon Wayans, being filmed in the Richmond area Bland also was hired to drive the vehicle in the movie.

"I was there for three days, doing the same thing over and over," said Bland. "It was just like being in the Army. I think I got about five seconds of film time when the movie was released."

Bland's museum began with a 30-by-60-foot pole barn that he later enlarged, and then supplemented with 20-by-50-foot addition with a cement floor and climate controls.

The museum currently has more vehicles than it does indoor space, so many are parked outside.

"It would be great to get a tank or a helicopter sometime," said Bland, "but when your museum operates on donations instead of admission fees, you won't get far enough ahead to buy big-ticket items like those."

Visitors to the museum have come from across the United States, and have included many from foreign countries.

"Most of them are in the area for something else, and see our signs on the highway and stop in," Bland said. "We have a Web site (www.topkicksmilitary

museum.com), but the signs seem to attract most of our visitors.

The museum is open year- round. Hours are 9 a.m. to dark Monday through Saturday, and noon to dark on Sundays. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged.

"Sometimes, I have to leave to go to town and run errands, so we put a sign out saying when we'll be back" Bland said. "If you're driving here from a long distance away, you should probably call first, to make sure we're here when you plan to arrive."

Top Kick's Military Museum is located about 1.5 miles southwest of Petersburg, off W.Va. 55. Watch for roadside signs marking the turnoff for the museum at Ridgeview Estates.

For information, more call 257-1392 or e-mail topki...@hardynet.com">topki...@hardynet.com. Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelham...@wvgazette.com">rsteelham...@wvgazette.com or 348-5169.