I feel like I am driving history, a story.

[starrskream]

Just a little story about why i Bought a Jeep, and what it means to be driving history. This really kind of sits well with me and makes me smile every time i start my New gladiator. Watching the screen go from a WW2 era jeep to the new grille on mine.

Growing up my pap told me a few stories about his time in WW2. He kept to himself about a lot of it. Even when I interviewed him for a school project in middle school. He never said much about it. That was at least until after I joined the Army at 18. Once he found out I was in the 82nd Airborne he nearly fell over. "those boys are some crazy bastards, you better keep up!" He did tell me some things, sage advice about surviving war. That I may one day find myself in a place where I must survive, and ensure my fellow Soldiers must do the same. "do what you must if it comes to it, do not hesitate and never regret doing what you had to to survive."
I could tell he was impressed with my choice to go Airborne, which meant a lot at the time. It made me proud to make him proud. To this point i never knew the extent of his actions, bravery or service. I could sort of feel it, but never really hit me until years later.

Life moved on and i never heard the whole story from his mouth. After he passed family found an old cigar box with is medals, and a news clipping. My pap, served in Africa, and Europe. He stormed the beaches at Omaha with the big red 1. He survived. I could not imagine what he kept buried his whole life. Even serving myself, I still could not comprehend what he had been through. I was blown away by what I saw.

for his actions, He Earned a Silver star pinned on personally by Eisenhower himself(see the pic in the top right of the below image.) the story goes It was either something he did on D-Day, or it was when he put out an engine fire with his bare hands. Possibly both. He also Earned a Bronze star(no idea what for).

so to the point...why did I buy a Jeep? Because anytime I asked him what he did in the Army he always said
"I drove a jeep, you should buy one. They're pretty reliable." Jeep draws a lot on the 1941, and their heritage. It runs very deep, and proudly. I figured some of you who had no idea, should know where some of that comes from. People like my pap.

His shadow box.

He and I at a Christmas dinner.

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[ShadowsPapa]

 

[Lunentucker]

I'm well over the ducks, but I will always wave.

 

[mdyucca]

Thanks for sharing this story! Hats off to you and your Paps for your service to our Country. One of the best testimonials I have heard regarding the heritage of Jeep.

 

[Cburd61]

Killer story. Thanks to you and your dad for your service. As to Jeep history, I have a 1946 “Great Grandpa” Jeep. Marked it up as a sort of tribute to my dad and two uncles who were in The Marines.

 

[Hootbro]

Thanks for sharing. ?

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

It’s an honour to read of his and your stories thanks for sharing. Extraordinary life and service. From the other end of the planet there’s a story not unlike that in this family. With a bag of medals and a German standard issue Erfurt revolver trophy of war to boot.

I think we all breath the air freedom based on their sacrifice.

Jeep: everlasting symbol of service above self in the name of a free world.

The preeminence of the USA in this world is based on the sacrifice of those fine young men and women who gave all for the cause of freedom.

I really hope USA never turns inwards bc the moment it does it will give up said preeminence and leadership of the planet.

It would be just what the darkest forces of authoritarianism wants, and make all the sacrifices that have gone before in vein.

yours and you paps story very timely. Now more than ever the world needs the leadership of the USA acting in unison with her many allies. My two cents.

Aside from the fact the family car was an early 60’s J100 wagoneer, I always be a Jeep tragic based on the fact it is the ever lasting symbol of service above self and freedom.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

Nothing says it better than an image such as this. The arrest of Josef Kramer at Bergen Belsen concentration camp April 17 1945.

The mighty little Jeep. The bearer of freedom.

 

[starrskream]

Killer story. Thanks to you and your dad for your service. As to Jeep history, I have a 1946 “Great Grandpa” Jeep. Marked it up as a sort of tribute to my dad and two uncles who were in The Marines.

My grandfather, not my dad. Jeeze I’m not that old lol. ?

 

[AyeCantSeeYou]

My granduncle fought in WW2 and when he got out of the service, bought one of the Jeeps his unit used. My mom told me she learned how to drive with it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My grandfather, not my dad. Jeeze I’m not that old lol. ?

I really missed out on all of that, sad to say. Until my own generation, every generation of our family had been involved in service of some sort, from before the revolution.
My father's father - and his twin brother, were in WWI. My grandfather was hit in a gas attack while in France, I believe it was. He came back to run a newspaper, a baseball team and other things but something had changed him. Reports were he "was gassed". He ended up disappearing and ended up in a VA hospital in OR, then back here to IA where there's a couple of pictures of him with me as a baby. So I never really knew him - but would sure love to have known more about him, what happened, his experiences and so on. But maybe it would have been like my boss in the first shop I worked in. He would never talk of his service. In fact, it was only later I found out he was in Korea. I don't recall him saying much about it - until years later when he was forced to close shop (at about age 80 or so) and I went to his house to pick up some tools he'd saved back for me. My son was with me and he'd been living in Korea and married a Korean woman. I brought up that my son was back from Korea and all of a sudden Andy opened up and the compared memories, places and so on. Man, wish I could have been smart enough to have asked more and really gotten him talking. He was a neat guy anyway.
My father's brother, Richard, served in Korea as well. I have photos of him over there, his flag in a case. He would send back toys and trinkets he bought over there (mostly from Japan back then).
He was one of the wild ones - known to have a good time, survived the conflict and his service over there only to be killed in a car accident back here. He wasn't driving, don't know any details other than the driver lost control, went off the road, hit a split rail fence and my Uncle Dick was impaled by a fence rail. All were were ever told is he was killed in a car accident. (I found old newspaper clippings after my parents both died)

Sadly, I missed out on so many connections with my family's earlier generations. I never asked questions and always was off in some other world in my head and never really paid much attention until it was TOO LATE. By the time I had great interest, the family historians were gone........... there was no one left to tell the stories.

Man, cherish those moments. Ask questions, get them to talk, show interest!!! It really could have some great meaning for them. They have stories to tell - we should listen.
Too late for me - not for many of you.

 

[70deuce]

Here is my story. My Dad was a WWII PT boat sailor serving as a gunner/radioman in the remote Philippine Islands disrupting Japanese barge traffic and occasionally taking on a Japanese warship. He told some great stories growing up. He taught me how to drive on his brother’s 1948 CJ-2 and I remember him telling me the CJ was just like the Jeeps he drove through the jungles in the Philippines during WWII. Just found this picture of my Dad in 1945 while he was serving over there. Over the past 10 years I was able to acquire these two gems and I sure wish he was still around to take a spin in one and maybe even reenact this picture. Maybe I should reenact it. We have always been Jeep people and with these two WWII examples it is great to see the very few veterans from that era that are still alive come up at car shows and parades and start telling stories did this or that in one of those Jeeps.

 

[70deuce]

HQ-19 Jeep is a 1943 Ford GPW. HQ-5 Jeep is a 1942 Willys MB. 163 years of history there.

 

[Geoarch]

I really missed out on all of that, sad to say. Until my own generation, every generation of our family had been involved in service of some sort, from before the revolution.
My father's father - and his twin brother, were in WWI. My grandfather was hit in a gas attack while in France, I believe it was. He came back to run a newspaper, a baseball team and other things but something had changed him. Reports were he "was gassed". He ended up disappearing and ended up in a VA hospital in OR, then back here to IA where there's a couple of pictures of him with me as a baby. So I never really knew him - but would sure love to have known more about him, what happened, his experiences and so on. But maybe it would have been like my boss in the first shop I worked in. He would never talk of his service. In fact, it was only later I found out he was in Korea. I don't recall him saying much about it - until years later when he was forced to close shop (at about age 80 or so) and I went to his house to pick up some tools he'd saved back for me. My son was with me and he'd been living in Korea and married a Korean woman. I brought up that my son was back from Korea and all of a sudden Andy opened up and the compared memories, places and so on. Man, wish I could have been smart enough to have asked more and really gotten him talking. He was a neat guy anyway.
My father's brother, Richard, served in Korea as well. I have photos of him over there, his flag in a case. He would send back toys and trinkets he bought over there (mostly from Japan back then).
He was one of the wild ones - known to have a good time, survived the conflict and his service over there only to be killed in a car accident back here. He wasn't driving, don't know any details other than the driver lost control, went off the road, hit a split rail fence and my Uncle Dick was impaled by a fence rail. All were were ever told is he was killed in a car accident. (I found old newspaper clippings after my parents both died)

Sadly, I missed out on so many connections with my family's earlier generations. I never asked questions and always was off in some other world in my head and never really paid much attention until it was TOO LATE. By the time I had great interest, the family historians were gone........... there was no one left to tell the stories.

Man, cherish those moments. Ask questions, get them to talk, show interest!!! It really could have some great meaning for them. They have stories to tell - we should listen.
Too late for me - not for many of you.

My Great-grandfather was in France in WWI - Army, my Dad was a Marine forward observer in WWII in the Pacific, I was a Marine tracked vehicle mechanic in Vietnam, then Ordnance Vehicle Maintenance Officer WO1, and my brother was an Army Combat Medic in Vietnam. We all got through it without a scratch, well mostly. So far, my grandkids have avoided that. I used every penny of my GI Bill. My Dad always saw Jeeps as the baseline for a vehicle and everything else derived from that, but never owned one.

My second car in 1967 was a 1953 M38-A1 I put a Buick V-6 in, then a new 1973 CJ-5 that cost $3400!

 

[MemphisMississipp]

Just a little story about why i Bought a Jeep, and what it means to be driving history. This really kind of sits well with me and makes me smile every time i start my New gladiator. Watching the screen go from a WW2 era jeep to the new grille on mine.

Growing up my pap told me a few stories about his time in WW2. He kept to himself about a lot of it. Even when I interviewed him for a school project in middle school. He never said much about it. That was at least until after I joined the Army at 18. Once he found out I was in the 82nd Airborne he nearly fell over. "those boys are some crazy bastards, you better keep up!" He did tell me some things, sage advice about surviving war. That I may one day find myself in a place where I must survive, and ensure my fellow Soldiers must do the same. "do what you must if it comes to it, do not hesitate and never regret doing what you had to to survive."
I could tell he was impressed with my choice to go Airborne, which meant a lot at the time. It made me proud to make him proud. To this point i never knew the extent of his actions, bravery or service. I could sort of feel it, but never really hit me until years later.

Life moved on and i never heard the whole story from his mouth. After he passed family found an old cigar box with is medals, and a news clipping. My pap, served in Africa, and Europe. He stormed the beaches at Omaha with the big red 1. He survived. I could not imagine what he kept buried his whole life. Even serving myself, I still could not comprehend what he had been through. I was blown away by what I saw.

for his actions, He Earned a Silver star pinned on personally by Eisenhower himself(see the pic in the top right of the below image.) the story goes It was either something he did on D-Day, or it was when he put out an engine fire with his bare hands. Possibly both. He also Earned a Bronze star(no idea what for).

so to the point...why did I buy a Jeep? Because anytime I asked him what he did in the Army he always said
"I drove a jeep, you should buy one. They're pretty reliable." Jeep draws a lot on the 1941, and their heritage. It runs very deep, and proudly. I figured some of you who had no idea, should know where some of that comes from. People like my pap.

His shadow box.

He and I at a Christmas dinner.

I’m a Vet and feel your Pride. “ The Greatest Generation .” They certainly earned the title, Jeep did also. Thanks for your service Bro, and Kudos to Pap!

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