FORT BENNING, Ga. (WRBL) — There will be a lot going on over the weekend and into next week with the Armor and Cavalry side of the house at Fort Benning.

And there are going to be rare chances for the public to get on post and see the big guns in action.

People will get to go see the Armor and Cav collections – historic tanks and armored vehicles from not only just U.S. but from other countries, as well.

Here is what Armor commandant Brig. Gen. Thomas M. Felty had to say recently about the Gainey Cup.

“What the Gainey Cup is it is an opportunity for us to compete on the field of scout skills, as well as test and evaluate our physical skills, our technical skills and our resonance skills across the Army,” Felty said.

There will be a live fire exercise and the Gainey Cup, the annual competition to determine the best Cavalry Scout squad.

The Gainey Cup is the Armor’s version of the Infantry’s Best Ranger Competition, which was held two weeks ago. The Gainey Cup events start Monday and conclude on May 5th.

But before that, the public will get a chance to see the equipment, as well as Armor soldiers in action.

On Saturday and Sunday there will be an open house for Army’s collection. Many of these are museum pieces and the collection facility is not normally open to the public. The equipment will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be a live-fire demonstration at Red Cloud Range Monday afternoon. The general public will get to witness the big guns being fired during the two-hour demonstration that starts at 3 p.m.

Here is what Armor commandant Brig. Gen. Thomas M. Felty had to say recently about the live-fire exercise.

“First, we’re going to start off with a Blackhawk helicopter,” Felty said. “We’re going to have a dismounted scout team that’s going to repel out of the helicopter right in front of maybe 100 meters off the ground. After that, then the scouts are going to move to an observation post, fire some mortars, and we’re going to slowly start bringing another combat vehicle, Strykers, tanks, and Bradleys. And I’ll tell everyone, you will not ever get closer to tanks or Bradleys than you will at Red Cloud Ranch.”

You won’t just be close enough to see it, Felty said.

“You are close enough that you are going to feel the tanks,” Felty said. “You are going to feel the Bradleys. If you haven’t been it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I encourage everyone of all ages to come out and join us here.”

If you are planning to go to any of these events on post and you don’t have a military ID, it is highly recommended you use the Interstate-185 gate. You will have to stop and go inside the visitor’s center to register before going on post.