During operations in Afghanistan in 2003, Major Robert Redding, a Special Forces member of the Colorado Army National Guard, found two World War I-era Renault FT-18s while visiting an Afghan scrapyard. Redding sent digital photographs of the tanks to the Patton Museum with a note asking if the museum would be interested.

The two FT-18 tanks were originally built in France during World War I. They were captured from the British Expeditionary Force in the Anglo-Afghan war of 1919.

Fort Knox personnel arrived in Kabul in May 2003 to examine the tanks. The vehicles were in very good shape because Afghanistan is relatively dry, but they were dirty and missing armament. Both tanks still have their original engines, complete tracks and most of their parts.

After permission was secured from the Afghan government, they were flown back to the United States.