"The Austrian army sent me the tank" - Arnold Schwarzenegger on riding around in a military tank

Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. Arnold also served as the governor of California and Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports for the US. He won seven Mr. Olympia titles and four Mr. Universe titles over the course of his career and has also starred in several movies.

Apart from his famous action movies, Arnold served in the Austrian army in 1965. It was mandatory for Austrian males at the age of 18 to serve in the army for a year. Arnold drove a military tank during his time in the military.

In 2014, Arnold Schwarzenegger made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. During the episode, Arnold and Jimmy Fallon spoke about the army tank owned by the GOAT bodybuilder.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger explained about owning a military tank

Jimmy Fallon shared a photo of Arnold standing in front of a tank (Arnold's own). He then asked Arnold how he was able to get a tank. Arnold explained that the tank in the photo was the exact one he drove during his time in the Austrian army. Arnold's tank is a 1951 M-47 Patton tank.

Arnold Schwarzenegger with Jimmy Fallon during The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (Image via CBS News)

During his days in the army, there were around 500 tanks, but they later became obsolete. Arnold asked the Austrian army if he could get his tank back. To receive his tank, he had to obtain permission from the Austrian government, the Pentagon, and the US military.

"The Austrian Army sent me the tank. I had to pay 20,000 dollars," Arnold said.

The Conan star said that it was easy to get permission from the concerned authorities of both the Austrian and American governments because he was the Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports for the US at the time.

Arnold Schwarzenegger added that the tank is currently used for fun racing and expressed his passion for after-school programs. The legendary bodybuilder said he had been working on after-school programs for the past 20 years at the time of this interaction.

After school, the kids would come to the former California Governor's house to check out his tank and spend some time with him. Kids who stay at school without skipping classes get an opportunity to drive the tank along with him. Arnold even drove the tank over a few decrepit cars.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger shared a flashback story from his army days

Arnold then quipped that driving the tank can result in trouble. He shared a throwback story from his days as a young soldier in the Austrian Army. Arnold challenged his friend to a tank race to see who would reach the bottom of the hill faster.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Image via Collider)

The Terminator star was victorious in his race against his buddy who had a more modern tank than Arnold did. Since it was the middle of the night, he and his friend were unable to see through the darkness. They were just crashing through the trees and bushes. Arnold added that he and his friend drove to the bottom of the hill at around 40 miles per hour.

The former California Governor continued that there were around 15 guys standing on top of the tank. Arnold had forgotten to ask them to get down before the race started and they all fell while he was driving to the bottom of the hill. The Total Recall star further added that he and his friend were punished after their race. They were ordered to crawl through a mud obstacle course, which lasted for around six hours.

It is unusual for someone to own a military tank of their own, but Arnold Schwarzenegger is an exception. He has put the tank to good use by driving it around to raise funds for after-school programs across the United States of America.