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04 Jul 10: (Mt. Harbor) 4th of July
Parade by Bill Barnes
This was the lead vehicle in
our 4th of July Flag Raising Celebration that starts
with a 4-wheeler ATV parade; ending at Marina Point
where we raised the flag; say the Pledge; sing the
Star Spangled Banner; etc.
Anyway, this year's parade was
over 170 vehicles and stretched out over a mile in
length. IT WAS FUN. I was very proud to lead it --
as were Harbor and Bay.
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27 JUN 10: (Bentonville)
Celebrate America by Dan Sharon The
event was held Sunday June 27 at 6:30 PM in Bentonville. The
event was not on the town square this year, but moved to a
new city park a few blocks away. The new city
park had a great place to display the vehicles near the stage area
and we weren't as cramped for space for display as we were last
year. Four vehicles were on display: Steve Smith's WWII Ford
Staff Car; Jerome & Marsha Casey's M38, Matilda; Dan & Susan
Sharon's WWII MB; It was a patriotic event with top quality music, singing,
free food, and quest speakers. Due to incoming rain the program
was moved to the nearby Baptist Church that hosted the event. Honoring our veterans and
celebrating our freedom and independence was what this event was
about. This event was attended by: Dan
& Susan Sharon and family; Jerome & Marsha Casey and grand-daughter;
Jason Curtis & Jodi Caton & family; Steve Smith; Joe & Rita Allison
and Paul & Ev Harless. Due to the rain storm and late hour of
the program. the Allisons and Harlesses left before the program was
moved to the First Baptist Church.
They moved the show to the church last night
and within and hour the show was underway and we were all comfy in
the balcony seats. It was good show and the talk about the Black
Hawk Down incident was really good. That was quite an ordeal. I
drove in rain all the way home and it was very hard at times.
Drying the Staff Car out today. Steve Smith
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12 JUN 10: (North Little Rock) AR
MVPA Meeting & Fish Fry hosted by Sedric & Phyllis Wirt
Sedric & Phyllis hosted the fish fry/meeting
at their home in North Little Rock. 43 members and guests were
present for the meeting: Guests included Dan & Dorcas Wirt,
Wayne Majors, Walter McKamy, Greg & Rose Enkglehardt, Trudy Hensley
and Mike (all of North Little Rock); Jeff and Wade Stinson (1st time attender); Robert Woods (1st time attender); Andy & Janet Rossi;
Jerome & Marsha Casey; Joe & Rita Allison; Freddie Huff; Doug &
Kathy Green; Steve Smith; Betty Smith; B.J. & Lacy Smith; Jeff & Bev
Ellison; Bob & Gloria Blakeney; Gus & Jennie Jones; Lewis & Molly
Anderson; Joe Drilling; Sedric & Phyllis Wirt; Clayton & Linda and
Brooklyn Jones; David, Tom and Nick Hopkins; and Paul & Ev
Harless. Rita Allison gave the treasurer's report and Ev Harless
read the minutes from the May meeting. Old Business:
1. Red Ball Convoy: Jerome Casey mentioned that there
were more people than expected. Late registration caused a
hardship on planning and on food preparation. Everyone seemed to
enjoy the event. There were no major problems. Rita Allison
volunteered to be in charge of the Red Ball tees at the next convoy.
2. Chosin Few Convention: Sedric Wirt appreciated those
members that came to the Jacksonville Museum of Military History to
hear the program presented by the Chosin Few. There were 150
members that attended the Convention. 3.Trail Ride in NW
Arkansas: Lewis Anderson said they met at Lake Ft. Smith
and traveled 60 miles of dusty gravel roads. They had a great
time. 4. Heritage Day: Joe Allison mentioned the
movie on Gen. Patton and the documentary on Sullivan, whose plane
crashed in the jungle during WWII. AR MVPA had 5 military
vehicles on display. There was live music and free hot dogs
and hamburgers. 5. The schedule for June and July was
discussed (see the events page for details) 6. Work Day on the
club's semi trailer: Joe Allison reported that he, Pete
Rossi and Paul Harless nailed railing inside the club trailer
and mounted the desks to the railing. New Business:
1. A certificate was presented to Steve Smith for originating
the design for the Red Ball tee. 2. Frank Wiser of Clarksville
passed away in May. A memorial gift was sent. 3.
Jack Brannon's mother (just lacked a few weeks reaching her 100th
birthday) passed away this week. 4. A donation was made
to the Greenland Community Church, where we held our Saturday night
BBQ and awards assembly. 5. A Thank-You card was sent to
Ervin & Doris Hutchins (Marsha Casey's parents) for all of the work
and support they gave during the Red Ball Convoy, 6.
Letters of appreciation were sent to the policemen and the police
department head for their help in traffic control during the Red
Ball convoy. Meeting Adjourned. Members enjoyed
looking at the Wirt's collection of antique autos.
 
Photo 1: The fish fry was catered by The
Fish House. Photo 2: Line-up for the fish dinner. Photo 3.
Enjoying the catfish; Photo 4. Meeting in progress; Photo 5. Linda
Jones and her grand-daughter, Brooklyn Photo; 6. Some of
the Wirt's collection of Corvetts; 7.
The Wirt's GPW: Photo 8. Sedric & Phyllis Wirt |
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11 JUN 10:
(Montgomery County) Rescue Efforts at the Albert Pike
Restoration Area - by Bill Barnes and Joe Scheaffer
At 2:00 a.m. the water level was 3.81'.
By 5:30 a.m. the river had crested at just over 23' - a rise of
approximately 20' in a 4 hour period. Due to the night time
hours many campers were unaware of the rise until it was too late .
Twenty fatalities were reported. Since the records were all
swept away in the flood it was uncertain if the casualties were
higher. This was the deadliest flash flood on record in
Arkansas. The 6" of rainfall per hour flooded the tributaries
of the Little Missouri River where 200 to 300 people were camping.
Two AR MVPA members, Bill Barnes and Joe Scheaffer, aided in the
rescue efforts. Bill Barnes reported, "There were 8 of us
(Joplin volunteers) at the site that Friday. Fortunately, we were
not involved with the bodies. We searched part of the Caddo River
at Norman and helped at the Langley Incident Command Center with
communications and victim family coordination. Also, in the Albert
Pike area that afternoon. It was unbelievable " Joe Scheaffer
wrote, "As for the flooding, Joplin VFD sent eight volunteers and
three boats down to help on Friday morning and we came home that
night. They asked us to put together a search team to work
yesterday, but since they accounted for the last known missing
individual on Monday they called off most of the searchers" |
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05 JUN 10: (Lamar) - Car Show - by
Steve Smith
I took the MB to a car
show in Lamar on Saturday. It was a surprisingly good show with
over 100 cars and my Jeep snagged a first place trophy in the
special interest class. The Jeep got a lot of attention and it was
fun to rob an award from the car guys with their shiny paint jobs.
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29 May 10: (Lake Ft Smith) Trail Ride by Dan
Sharon
On Saturday May 29 we had what
you could call a full, rich day. Several of us met at Lake Fort
Smith State Park near Mountainburg, Arkansas for a trail ride to
White Rock Mountain in the Ozark National Forest. It seems that the
Red Ball Convoy which was run just a few weeks earlier didn’t quite
cure our spring fever. We had to get back on the trail with the
jeeps and good friends for some more fun under the sun.
We all met at the visitor’s
center at Lake Fort Smith State Park at 10AM. BJ Smith came over
from Marshall, AR with his WWII jeep and was there waiting when I
arrived. Lewis Anderson was ready with his weapons carrier. I
brought our family M38 along with Susan, Anna, Luke, Nathan, and
Daniel. Jerome and Marsha arrived a few minutes later with their
new family friend, Matilda, a fine looking M38. Galen Horton and
daughter Gracie were along as passengers in BJ’s jeep.
After all final preparations,
loading of picnic supplies, and a brief visit to the park gift shop,
we hit the trail. Jerome refused to take the lead. I think the Red
Ball convoy was still fresh on his mind. It was time for Jerome to
let someone else take the lead. Today was his turn to just enjoy
the journey and scenery.
The roads we were traveling were
all gravel county roads or US Forest Service roads. The best map
that I could find was dated and not real easy to read. I had driven
these roads 25 years ago so I knew that we could get to White Rock
Mountain one way or another. Part of the fun was wondering where we
would come out. We traveled through some remote county. It was
beautiful.
Finally we came upon a small
community of farm houses. We had to pull off the road for a few
minutes as a couple were herding some horses down the road. Not too
far further we came to a road junction. I stopped to check the
map. This looked like the turn we needed to take. Just up ahead I
spotted a fellow along side the road working on his tractor. I
asked him if that was the road to White Rock Mountain. He said
“That used to be the road to White Rock. It is washed out now”. He
said “It sure would be a pretty drive if the road wasn’t washed
out”. I asked him if we could get jeeps through there. He said
“Son, you couldn’t get a horse through there”.
We took this kind fellow’s advice
and continued our journey via the better road. After a few more
miles and a stop or two for brief conversation, we made it to the
top of White Rock Mountain. We enjoyed our lunch in the picnic
area, and visited with some backpacking boy scouts. After lunch we
took a short hike down to the overlook. White Rock Mountain has to
have one of the best views in the state!
After helping some city boys
change a flat tire, we were back on the trail. Jerome still would
not take the lead. Come on Jerome! You are our leader. Nothing
doing said Jerome.
We found the place where the
washed out road came back into the main road. Sure enough, just
down a hundred feet or so was a “ROAD CLOSED” sign. BJ and Galen
wasted no time starting down the road and rolling right past the
warning sign. To make a long story short, the road was washed out
just like the man said. In fact, the road was gone! It looked to
me like a couple hundred acres of hillside just slipped down the
mountain. We parked our MV’s and decided to hike a bit on foot to
see if we could even tell where the road used to be.
We worked our way through some
bushes, poison ivy, and trees and came into a clearing. WOW, the
road was gone, now covered by dirt, trees, rocks, and mud. The man
was right. You couldn’t even get a horse through here. “Look at
this” BJ said. Just in front of us in the mud were two or three
very large bear tracks. I opened up my hand and placed it in one of
the bear tracks and my hand didn’t even fill the track. We were in
some remote country for sure.
We all worked our way back to the
vehicles, got them turned around, and headed back. It was getting
late and it was time to head back to the park where the journey had
started. We were all getting tired and we were ready to get back.
The original idea was to trail ride 15 or 20 miles. Nearly 60 miles
after we started out, we finally got back. We visited for a few
minutes then loaded up the jeeps and headed home.
Jerome, we let
you off the hook for this event, but you will be expected to be back
in the front again soon!
Photos by Galen Horton-
 
Photos by Dan Sharon-
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29 May 10: (Jacksonville) - " Heritage Day" Military Vehicle
Display at the Jacksonville Museum of Military History
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29 May 10:
(El Dorado) - Memorial Day Service
- by Randall Wood
This Memorial day in El
Dorado the program was, along with the usual ceremony, a
memorial service for Wayne Culver. He was a resident of El
Dorado and worked at Amer Cable in
El Dorado along with ARMVPA members John Abbott and Terry
Murphy’s wife Janice. He was active in organizing events for the
VFW as commander including the Memorial Day events and Christmas
parade and would request our vehicles to participate. His body
was flown into south Arkansas regional airport and was escorted
by police and vets on motorcycles thru town. The route was lined
with people and flags and came along Main Street thru the area
on the square where the Memorial Day ceremony was held. There
were a huge number of
his co-workers and friends from
Amer Cable giving out flags to
people in the crowd. Last year he had delivered a speech at the
event. This year he reminded his town of the price of freedom.
The article below tells a lot about the kind of person he was. I
thought you might like to read it.
By Air Force Master Sgt.
Darrell Habisch
Special to American Forces Press Service
CONTINGENCY OPERATING
BASE ADDER, Iraq, May 31, 2010 –
This Memorial Day in Iraq, I have shed many tears for a
soldier I never met.
I was asked to videotape
a memorial service for an Army major killed in action May 24
when an improvised explosive device pierced his
mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle near Numaniyah in
southern Iraq.
The memorial service took
place May 27 at Memorial Hall here. Seats were set for 560
people, and it was already half full as soldiers waited for
the 10:15 a.m. start time.
It was very quiet with
hardly a whisper or sound of a weapon placed on the concrete
floor. A projector cast photos of the major on a screen at
the front of the stage.
Soldiers filed in and
filled up seats until the hall was standing room only. To
videotape, I positioned myself toward the front and to the
side.
The members of his
brigade wore the usual Army combat uniforms, with a few
exceptions: instead of camouflaged caps, the members from
the 2-108th Cavalry Squadron wore the traditional black
Stetson hat with gold tassels, some with blue tassels in
reference to that soldier’s infantry background. Many wore
silver or gold combat spurs on their combat boots to honor
their cavalry heritage.
Finally, a soldier asked
the assembly to rise for the arrival of the official party.
Four soldiers walked on stage.
They talked about what a great guy the major was, his great
sense of humor and how he was always concerned about his
soldiers.
They talked about how he
gave his watch to a young lieutenant who kept asking what
time it was, afraid she would miss a meeting. He told her he
had worn that watch without taking it off for a year during
his last deployment here and he left without a scratch.
He told her to never take it off
and she’ll go home fine. She is a public affairs officer and
every night the watch alarm went off at 6 p.m. She called
and asked him how to turn it off and he said he wouldn’t
tell her. Every evening when the
alarm goes off, he told her, she will be reminded that she
needs to write more stories
about soldiers.
When his seemingly
routine mission began, the major asked the squadron to fly a
flag in honor of his wedding anniversary that day so he
could send it back to his wife. The squadron raised his flag
in front of headquarters for him. That afternoon, after the
attack, they lowered his flag to half-staff, in his memory.
The service continued
with the chaplain speaking of the major’s faith and how he
knew he would see his friend in heaven. He choked up at the
podium and the squadron command sergeant major walked across
the stage to support him. The room was silent, save for the
sound of more than 500 battle-tested soldiers sniffling.
The chaplain concluded
his remarks with a prayer. Immediately, a bagpipe’s wail
began at the rear of the hall as a single soldier played
“Amazing Grace” while marching down the center aisle. He
stopped at the memorial at the front.
The memorial was a table
covered by a black and gold cloth upon which sat his boots,
an inverted rifle standing upright with his helmet placed on
top. His dog tags were hanging from the top of the rifle.
The table had various items soldiers had placed there: his
coffee cup, papers and other things that only have special
meaning for them and their lost comrade.
When the song ended, the
room was called to attention. The first sergeant on stage
called for roll call for Headquarters and Headquarters
Troop.
He yelled, “Captain
Lloyd!”
A booming voice yelled back, “Here, first sergeant!”
“Major Robinson!”
“Here, first sergeant.”
“Major Culver!”
There was silence.
He yelled, “Maj. Ronald Culver!”
Silence.
He yelled
again, “Maj. Ronald W. Culver Jr.!”
And a voice said, “He’s not here first sergeant - for he’s
gone to Fiddler’s Green.”
Profound silence.
“Sergeant Major, strike Major Culver’s name
from the roll.”
After a few moments the
soldiers walked off the stage and taps was played.
Soldiers stood and waited
their turn to approach the memorial table, touch the dog
tags, leave an item or say a prayer. Each performed a slow
salute, turned and marched to a line of waiting comrades to
express their condolences and share their grief.
Maj. Ronald “Wayne”
Culver was a member of the Louisiana Army National Guard
Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 108th
Cavalry Regiment of Shreveport, La. The 44 year-old officer
left behind a wife and two teenage children.
Bob Blackwood
AmerCable Incorporated Capital Projects Coordinator
RPBlackwood@AmerCable
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19 May 10: (Little
Rock) Convention of the Chosin Few by Rita Allison
"Sedric and Phyllis Wirt of North Little Rock
were hosts for the Korean Veterans Reunion of the Chosin Few during
the week of May 17th. Approximately 150 including wives came,
representing many different
states from coast to coast. The group stayed at the Crown Plaza
Hotel in Little Rock and attended various activities. On May 19th,
there was a round table discussion at the Jacksonville Museum of
Military History. Joan Zumwalt welcomed everyone as did the
commander of the Jacksonville Air Force Base. Two veterans gave a
detailed description of their hardships and experiences during the
war. One was moved to tears remembering the loss of his close
friend. It was touching to be in the presence of the Chosin Few
veterans. All were heroes. Arkansas MVPA members attending as
guests of Sedric Wirt were Joe and Rita Allison, Bob and Gloria
Blakeney, Floyd Blakeney and Andy Rossi.
Food and drinks were served.
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08 May 10: (Lake Hamilton, Hot
Springs) AR MVPA Dinner & Meeting - Minutes
Andy & Janet Rossi hosted the May dinner/meeting at
their home on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs. Twenty three
members and five guests were in attendance: Randy & Sarah
Hopkins, guests from Little Rock; Marvell Welch, guest from Hot
Springs (Allen Lindquist's mother); Joe & Pam Drilling, guests
from Little Rock, became our newest members; Jim, JoAnn and Renee
Wilson of Clayton, IN were 1st time attenders; Jim & Lora Ingram;
Paul & Ev Harless; Steve Smith; Gus & Jennie Jones; Hunter & Martha
Douglas; Joe & Rita Allison; Ron Naef; Hunter & Denise Douglas, Jr.;
Allen Lindquist; Rich & Wendy Kitkoski; Andy & Janet Rossi; and
Freddie Huff. New members added to our roster in May were:
WWII Veteran Buster Simmons (Farmington) Honorary; Joe & Nell Dutton
(Geronimo, OK); Kenneth & Doris Brown (Thayer, MO) and Joe & Pam
Drilling (Little Rock). Rita Allison gave the treasurer's
report. Ev Harless read the April minutes. Paul Harless
wished all the mothers a "Happy Mother's Day" for tomorrow.
Old Business: 1. Discussion of the Red Ball Convoy -
Jerome sent suggestions for next year's convoy. Members gave a big
hand clap for Marsha & Jerome for carrying out such a successful
convoy. 2. The tentative schedule for the 2nd quarter
was discussed. 3. There was a good show of hands of
those planning to attend the MVPA Convention in Topeka.
Arkansas should be well represented. AR MVPA will set up a
table near the MVPA registration booth. New Business:
1. We received a letter of appreciation from the DAV for
the donation sent in memory of Gail Clark's dad. 2.
Rich Kitkoski discussed the strict gun laws of Canada and the
restrictions placed on buying ammunition. 3.
We received a note of appreciation for the hospitality at the Red
Ball Convoy from Board Member, Toby Chandler. MEETING
ADJOURNED Following the meeting Andy Rossi took us on a
boat ride on Lake Hamilton.
Photos by Andy Rossi: Photo 1 - Joe Drilling's
BBQ grill Photo 2 - Joe & Pam Drilling catered the BBQ dinner.
Photo 3 - This was some of the best, "mouth watering", BBQ ribs you
will ever taste. Photo 4 - Hunter Douglas called the meeting
to order with his bugle; Photo 5 - Paul Harless listens to
discussion of last Saturday's Red Ball Convoy; Photos 6 & 7 - Andy
Rossi took us for a ride around Lake Hamilton on his Pontoon Boat |
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18 Apr 10: (Mountain
Harbor Resort - Mt Ida) AR MVPA Dinner & Meeting -
Minutes For the second year in a row,
the attendance at the meeting hosted by Bill Barnes of Mountain Harbor Resort
broke all previous records. 54 were present for the meeting. The
meeting began with a welcome and a few comments from Bill.
Guests were introduced: Joe Cole (Mayor of Houston, guest of
the Blakeneys); Gary and Sandy Pack (of North Little Rock and guest
of the Jacksons); Chris Barnes (of Mountain Harbor Resort, son of
Bill Barnes); Ivan and Violet Hall (of Hot Springs, guest of Gloria
Blakeney). Members attending included: John & Michelle, John
Michael and Jake Douglas (first time attendees); Betty Smith; Ron
Naef; Joe & Rita Allison; Bob & Gloria Blakeney; Floyd Blakeney; Gus
& Jennie Jones; Ben & Jane Hunt; Jeff & Beverly Ellison; Jim & Nell
Jackson; Bill Barnes; Chris Barnes; Paul & Ev Harless; Don & Cathy
Pearson; Vic & Denise Quick; Andy Quick; Allen Lindquist; Dave &
Erma Smith; Dan & Susan, Anna, Luke, Nathan, and Daniel Sharon; Doug
& Kathy Green; Hunter & Martha Douglas; Steve Smith; Gil Jeane: Rick
& Vicki, Andrea, James & Katie Libby; Sedric & Phyllis Wirt and
Lewis Anderson. Rita Allison read the treasurer's report.
The March meeting minutes were posted in the newsletter.
Old Business: Dan Sharon discussed notes from Jerome on
the importance of attending the driver's meeting on Friday evening
and reminders on having your vehicle prepared for the convoy.
The tentative schedule for the rest of the year is posted in the
newsletter and on the web page. The 08 May meeting will be
held at the Rossi's place in Hot Springs. The 12 Jun meeting
will be at the Wirt's home in North Little Rock. New
Business: Joe Allison was appointed to get up a team to
determine a date to work on the club trailer; Gary Cross has medical
complications so he and Judy won't be able to make the convoy; Danna
Kay at the Jacksonville Museum of Military History has requested 3x5
American flags for an outreach program for the Afghan schools.
Beason, wants to send back to schools in the states that are sending
school supplies to the Afghan schools, a flag that has been flown on
an Afghan helicopter that took supplies to the schools. If you
purchase a flag from Flags & Banners in Little Rock they will donate
an extra flag if you mention it is for the "Beason Project".
Part of the proceeds will go to Wounded Warriors. The flags
are on sale for $27.95. The program ends May 15.; TAPS - A
picture is being sent to Lou Templeton. Billy Templeton passed
away on 23 Dec 09. Lou donated a box of Billy's books (Manila
Bay Sunset) to the AR MVPA.; - Gail Clark's dad (a WWII veteran)
passed away this month. Rita sent a card and check. Ev has a
new photographic service - you can order photo books, pictures,
magnets etc from various AR MVPA events.
.
Photo 1 - "Welcome Marquee" at Mountain Harbor
Resort; Photo 2 - Bill Barnes welcomed everyone to the
dinner/meeting; Photo 3 - A look at some of Bill Barnes new military vehicles;
Photo 4 - Dinner was served off of two military mules; Photo 5 -
Dinner was served in the Montgomery County Military Museum; Photo 6
- Some of the military vehicles in the museum; Photo 7
- Joe & Rita Allison |
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Mar 10: (El
Dorado) Antique Tractor and Engine Show
by Randall Wood
Saturday, March 27th
we had our power show on the square in El Dorado. This show gets
bigger and better each year and the downtown square is always
busy with traffic around the histc buildings, shops, and
restaurants. The weather was a little cool and overcast but the
turn-out was pretty good anyway. There were a lot of antique
tractors and engines and we had quite a few
MV’s including Bruce Darden’s M51A2, M35A2’s (one with a
trailer), Joseph Poss’s M35A2,
Conrad Clark’s M35A2, Lindy’s Command Car, M38A1, and (3)
M151A2’S, a CJ3A, Terry Murphy’s script GPW & Bantam trailer,
the Slaughter’s M1026 w/the M2 50cal. Mounted, Danny Terry’s
M38A1, and my M38 and M100 trailer.Lindy’s
M38A1, Terry’s GPW, Bruce’s M35, and My M38 were at their first
showing since paint and restoration! All in all not a bad
showing with 17 MV’s we covered one
side of the downtown square and got a lot of visitors.
Photos by Randy Wood |
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11 Mar 10: (Jacksonville,
AR) Titan Nose Cone Transported to the Jacksonville
Museum of Military History by Jim Gray, DannaKay Duggar and Jerome
Casey In January The Titan II veterans
set out to bring a nose cone from the 'bone yard' at Davis Monthan
AFB in Tucson and have it added to their exhibit at the Jacksonville
Museum of Military History. In search for the most economical
way to transport the cone, retired Col. Jimmie Gray contacted Paul
Harless to see if something could be worked out with Airways Freight
of Fayetteville. Jerome Casey handled the details of the
transport. The cone was picked up on the 9th of March.
DannaKay e-mailed, "It arrived safely along with a little Arizona
sand as well. Jerome did a great job arranging everything."
The Mark 6 re-entry vehicle from the Titan II nuclear missile
arrived in Jacksonville on the 11th of March. Jim said, "We hope to
incorporate the nose cone into what we call an interactive display
where the viewer could push a button and see a simulated flight
profile leave the end of the cone and go through a series of stages
ending up at a 'target' which would flash lights indicating impact."
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Mar 10:
(Arlington, TX) WWII Jeep Can't Be Stopped By Mud - by Tom Essary It was a warm March evening and
the wet area near home was inviting. It took about 40 seconds to
get bogged down. After a few front to back throws it was not
advancing and the old jeep was belly down in the muck. There
was some discarded lumber nearby and I jacked up both ends
and blocked the tires up. The shovel came in very handy and some
"drier" dirt pushed out lots of water. It was getting dark due to
coming rain and I tried to drive out before I thought there was
enough shoring and filling. The entire frame was above the mud and
the jeep eased forward and then back. I kept the revs up and about
ten tries and "Toby" was headed toward drier ground. Saved.
It started to rain about five minutes after I was on the road.
It was tiring but exiting too. I took the time for the photos.
Enjoy
my misery. LOL
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13 Mar 10:
(Bismarck, AR) AR MVPA
Dinner and Meeting - Minutes Paul
Harless thanked Doug & Kathy Green and Vic, Denise and Andy Quick
for hosting the meeting. Welcome to new members for this
quarter: Maj. Ronald & Elizabeth Woodard of Royal; and Shawn &
Jeannie Reed of Charleston. The Reeds have a M170 ambulance.
the Woodards and the Reeds are both National MVPA Members.
Thirty-five were in attendance: Joe & Rita Allison; Lewis
Anderson; Bill Barnes; Bob & Gloria Blakeney; Floyd Blakeney; Jerome
and Marsha Casey; Hunter Douglas; Jeff and Bev Ellison; Doug & Kathy
Green; Paul & Ev Harless; Jim & Lora Ingram; Jim & Nell Jackson; Gil
Jeane (1st time attender from Parthenon); Gus & Jennie Jones; Allen
Lindquist; (Guest) Marvel Robinson, mother of Allen Lindquist; Andy
& Janet Rossi; Joe Scheaffer (1st time attender from Roswell, GA)
Betty Smith; Steve Smith; Andy Quick; Victor & Denise Quick; Sedric
& Phyllis Wirt. Rita Allison read the treasurer's report.
The December minutes were posted in the January newsletter.
Dan & Susan Sharon changed from regular membership to an Associate
membership (Classic MV.Com.) Bill Barnes took out an Associate
Membership for the Montgomery County Military Museum. Bob
McFarland changed to a regular membership. Jerome Casey
discussed the May 2 Convoy and the April 30 visit to the Veterans'
Home in Fayetteville. (Updates are posted on the Red Ball Convoy web
page) A new electric winch was purchased for the Semi Trailer.
There will be a workday for the club's semi trailer when the weather
warms a little. The schedule for the 2nd quarter's events were
discussed. (Schedule is posted on the Events web page)
Paul asked for a show of hands of those planning to attend the
National MVPA Convention in Topeka. There will be a good
percentage of AR MVPA members attending. A $100 donation was
made to the Museum of Autos Matching Grant. Members were
encourage to donate individually. Bob Blakeney had two
operations. Ben Hunt got out of the hospital yesterday.
Jane Hunt continues to have problems with her knees. Rita
Allison, Gary Cross and Barbara McFarland are all recovering
from hospital stays. Jennie Jones is recouping from pneumonia.
Billy Templeton, survivor of the Bataan Death March and POW for the
remainder of WWII, passed away 23 Dec 09. Lou Templeton
donated a box of his signed books, "Manila Bay Sunset" to the
AR MVPA. See Books web page to order. The final vote for
the Red Ball tee design was taken. The winning design was by
Steve Smith and is posted on the Red Ball Convoy web page. Two
new web pages are under construction: "Books" and "Taps".
 Photo 1 - Wrecker driven to the meeting by Joe Scheaffer Photo
2 - Deuce n Half driven to the meeting by Bill Barnes Photo 3
- Rita Allison gives Red Ball Convoy registration form to Floyd
Blakeney Photo 4 - Nell Jackson is looking through the
2007 Little Rock Convention photo book Photo 5 - Hostesses
Denise Quick and Kathy Green completing Red Ball registration
Photos 6 - Visiting at dinner Photo 7 & 8. BBQ, sides
and desserts |
09 Mar 10:
(Palestine, TX)
Colling’s Freedom Flight Display by
Jerry Gardner
On Tuesday 3/09, we had a display of HMV at the Palestine
airport with the Colling’s B-17, B-24, P-51 and Huey UH1
helicopter. Only three showed up to display their vehicles.
Tommy and Jan Townsend (modern day Hummer),
Mike Eckert (1961 Studebaker M35A2) and
Jerry Gardner (1942 GPW Jeep)
came and
displayed all day. It was a beautiful day with sunshine and
temps in the 70’s. We had good crowds and a fun time talking to
the spectators. Tommy and Mike both brought military hardware
to put on display. Tommy brought his .50 MG and a 81mm
mortar. This was a really good event that we all enjoyed.
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24 Feb 10: (Clarksville, AR)
" No Track" by Steve Smith It
was a Half-Track, then a Quarter-Track, now it's a No-Track. Steve
Sears stopped by on Saturday on his way back from Texas and helped
me get going on some much needed work. We had a great day for it
and stripped the boggies and volute springs on the left side and got
started on the right side. By the end of the next day the right
track was off the sprockets and on the ground. We busted our
knuckles and busted my impact wrench but got it done. Steve is
going to send me the large socket needed to remove the hubs so I
can get at the brakes. Oh my aching muscles!
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12 FEB 10:
(Arlington, TX) 1943 GPW by Tom Essary Here is "Toby" at about 4000 miles since
restoration almost 2 years ago and its first snow underway since
perhaps 1970. The zig zag down the hill are the first tracks
on that hill ... And they are from my 1943 Ford GPW Laurie and
I drove about 20 miles together and I drove another 50+ on snow
covered roads and even some snow and mud. Press on regardless,
Tom E
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12 FEB 10: (Tyler, TX)
by Jerry Gardner
Dear MV friends: Hope some of you
guys get your HMV out in the snow. Makes for great pictures.
We had 6" out here north of Tyler. Driving in the woods was
fun. Never got stuck but slid a little. Regards, Jerry
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02 FEB 10:
(Booneville) 1972 AM General M35A2 by Tom Creason
Here are a couple of my little truck, got about
6 inches of snow here.
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02 FEB
10: (Fayetteville)
High Speed Tractor by Jerome Casey
Here's
some pictures of the High Speed tractor in the snow. Unfortunately,
I didn't get them before the snow went down a bit.
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31 JAN 10:
(Eureka, KS) Our Son David, With His M37 and Trailer
by Gary & Judy Cross
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31 JAN 10:
(Clarksville) Winter Wonderland by
Steve Smith Well I didn't get very far
in the Jeep (photo 1). I forgot about the branches hanging low over the
trail. After the third load of snow got dumped down my back I
turned around and headed for home to dry out. It was also too muddy
under the snow. I was expecting the ground to be more frozen then
that. Oh well, it was fun anyway. Also check out the ice crusted Humvee I spotted on a trailer outside South Park Restaurant at lunch
today (Photo 2). Here's a few more I took around the house
(Photos 3-6).
08 FEB 10: We got about 2 inches on the
ground today. What was neat was how much snow was in the
trees. See the photos. It's a sloppy but beautiful mess!
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29-30 JAN 10:
(Ada Valley, Adona) A Walk in the Back Woods by Ev
Harless The 29th was mostly ice
(photos 2-3).
Photo 1 - Projects waiting for warmer weather.
The 30th was snow shots taken in the back woods at the foot of Petit
Jean Mt. (photos 5-8). Photo 4 - Navy Tractor (1949)
08 Feb 10 We had 7" of snow in Ada
Valley. These are a few shots taken around the house. Projects
for warmer weather: Air Force airport trailer; 49 Jeepster;
Carryall; M37; trailer; and jeep
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13 DEC 09: (Cabot)
Red, White and Blue Christmas Parade
(Honoring Veterans)30 Cabot's red, white and
blue Christmas parade was in honor of all veterans. AR MVPA
had 7 military vehicles in the parade: Steve Smith's 1941 Ford
Staff Car with passengers Betty Smith (WWII Veteran) and her
daughter Jayne Condley; Jeff Ellison's Communication Truck; Joe
Allison's 1942 Slat Grill MB; Floyd Blakeney's M151 A1; Paul
Harless's 1943 Ford GPW with passengers Ev Harless and Spookie
Harless; Bob Blakeney's 1943 Ford GPW with Gloria Blakeney as a
passenger; and Sedric Wirt's 1943 Ford GPW with passengers Phyllis
Wirt, his sister Donna and her grandson Brandon. Additional
photos are posted on the photo gallery.
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07
DEC 09:
(Morrilton) Walk of Flags -
Veterans' Program & Dinner (by Ev Harless)
395 American flags
fluttered in the breeze along the Walk of Flags on Pearl Harbor Day.
The flags are posted on each patriotic day to honor veterans and
those men and women currently serving our country in the
military. It is an awesome reminder of the sacrifices of our
armed services. The flags are provided by the Morrilton VFW, Post #4453. Flags can be purchased in honor of, or memory of, any
veteran. Joe Allison's flag is #25. Flags are also
posted for AR MVPA members Vic Brown (#2), Fred DiVincenzo (flag #
3??), Paul Harless (Flag #400, soon to be posted) and Jack
& Betty
Smith (#23 & #24, WWII veterans) honoring their service. Vic was one of the two founders of
this program. Morrilton High School had an
impressive assembly program for veterans and high school students.
After the program a turkey dinner was served by students to all veterans and
their families. Additional photos are available in the
photo gallery.
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06 DEC 09:
(Sherwood) Christmas Parade
Sedric & Phyllis Wirt invited us to meet at
their home and have a bite of lunch before convoying with our
trailers to Sherwood. We unloaded our vehicles at Sedric's
son's place of business and drove over to the parade line up.
Our 6 jeeps transported veterans for the Sherwood VFW: Sedric
Wirt's GPW; Paul Harless's GPW; Bob Blakeney's GPW; Joe Allison's MB
Slat Grill; Floyd Blakeney's M151A1 and David Hopkins 's MB. Also
riding in the jeeps were Betty Smith, Ev Harless, Phyllis Wirt, Nick
Hopkins and Tom Hopkins. The VFW
was given a participation certificate and won 2nd place in the
parade. Additional pictures are posted on the photo
gallery.
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11 NOV 09:
(Waldron)
Veterans' Day at Waldron School by Rick & Vicki
Libby Hello everyone! Since the Libby
kids have been in public school (only their second year) we have
been very involved in their activities and learning. Well leading up
to veterans day Vickie had spoke to Katie's history teacher Mrs
Cronister about putting together a display, because Mrs Cronister
was in charge of putting together the Veterans Day Program this
year. So plans were made to have our jeep and other items on display
at the program for the veterans to look at. Then we would move the
display to the middle school where Katie and James go and have the
display set up for the rest of the school day for all the Middle
school classes. This would give them an opportunity to
see the uniforms and items from the Spanish American war, WW1, WW2,
Korean war, Vietnam, and modern day Iraqi Freedom. All the school
turned out to see the display. We were very horse from talking by
the end of the day. The kids loved looking and asked lots of
questions about different items and about the jeep. We had two or
three classes per period looking at the displays. Some kids got to
look several times depending on their class schedule. We had math
classes, reading classes, English classes, etc.. turning out to see
the jeep and uniforms. we have several pictures of kids enjoying it.
The game of the day was putting on helmets and getting their picture
taken and guessing where the horn was on the jeep. Vickie asked
several classes, "Does this make history more exciting?". The
response was a loud "YES!!" About a week later Katie brought
home a Poster board that said, "Thank you Mr and Mrs Libby for the
Military and Jeep display". It was signed all over by teachers and
students from the Waldron Middle School. We all had a very enjoyable
time.
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11 NOV 09:
(Bismarck) Veterans'
Day Parade by Kathy Green
Attached are some photos of
the Arkadelphia Veterans Day parade Doug Green and Vic Quick
participated in. Doug drove the lead jeep for the Grand Marshall
of the parade, Dr. Raymond Coppenger. Dr. Coppenger celebrated
his 100th birthday on September 20. He served as a US
Navy Chaplain on Guadalcanal, Guam, and Okinawa during WWII. Dr.
Coppenger passed away on November 24, 2009.
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11 NOV 09: (Branson)
The Marine Corps Birthday Ball by Bill Thorne
When I built my 1952 M38 I never thought that
it would result in an invitation to the Branson Marine Corps
Birthday Ball. But that is exactly what happened…
Branson, Missouri hosts a
grand celebration to celebrate the United States Marine Corps
Birthday. This year’s event was held at the Branson Convention
Center on November 10, and was held in honor of the Marine Corps’
234th Birthday.
I was asked to bring my
1952 M38 jeep (which I restored as a Marine Corps model , and
happened to be few and far between), in a couple days early so it
could be staged in the lobby and all the decorating and preparations
could be prepared around it. As I unloaded it I was a little nervous
about whether it would fit between the lobby doors. I took all the
mussete bags off the side and folded the mirror in as tight as I
could and the jeep narrowly eased through the door opening with at
least a half inch to spare.
I had some time to kill so
I went to the Branson Military Museum. It was a good decision as the
museum is very interesting and a life size bronze sculpture
depicting a beach landing with a soldier from each of our fifty
states is the high light of all displays. If you are in Branson I
recommend you take in the museum.
I met up with Joe and Rita
Allison and the rest of the gang from the ARMVPA at the motel and we
started making plans for the Veterans Day Parade. I didn’t know what
to do with myself as all the other guys were unloading and preparing
their HMVS and mine was downtown in the Convention Center. Soon
though my wife Sara arrived to join me and preparations began for
the big night. As this was a formal affair I had to begin the
unfamiliar process of putting on a Tuxedo. Once we were all dressed
up we headed down to the Ball.
As we arrived we were
surprised to see the jeep adorned with the American flag and
surrounded by lights and camera equipment as it became the
background for professional portraits being taken in the lobby. It
was quite a sight seeing all these Marines in “dress blues” and
their spouses in beautiful formal attire being photographed with my
little M38. I was a “proud papa” as Sara and I chatted with other
guests as we waited to have our pictures taken.
Soon it was time to go
into the Ballroom where we joined close to six hundred other guests,
dignitaries, and celebrities that had gathered to celebrate this
Birthday gala. Soon the Honor Guard from Ft. Leonard Wood entered
the room and led the procession that included the oldest and
youngest Marine in attendance as well as a huge layered birthday
cake. The National Anthem was sung by the Oakridge Boys and the
keynote speech was delivered by Lt. Col. Oliver North (ret.). The
cutting of the cake and the presentation of the colors was very
touching. A fine dinner and dancing to the “Blue Notes” finished of
the memorable event. As we decided to call it a night Lt. Col. North
was still busy signing books for a long line of folks still gathered
in the Ballroom.
I could go on and on but
I’ll wrap this up by saying it was a night to remember, and a huge
honor for Sara and me to accompany our jeep to the ball.
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11 Nov 09: (Hot
Springs) Veteran's Day Parade - (by Bill Barnes)
Attached are a couple pictures of the Hot
Springs Veteran's Day Parade that I, my son (Chris), Coast Guardsman
Joe Eick, and Jennifer Brewer (Air Evac Representative), and Jeff
Fuller participated in.
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I believe it was one of the best
attended parades since I have been going. The weather
was great, and the crowd was large and supportive.
Harbor Dog and Bay Dog road in the Hummer with Jennifer;
my guest, Kathy Oliver, and her son, Oliver, rode with
me in the GPW pulling the 37 MM. It was a lot of fun.
We had American flags about everywhere we could stick
one.
I am always proud to say THANK YOU
to our servicemen and women!
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11 Nov 09 :
(Branson) Veteran's Day Parade - (by Steve Smith)
The Branson Parade was a good one. This was my
second time to do this parade and the crowd was much heavier than
last time. I think they were busing spectators in from somewhere
and the streets were packed and lots of veterans in the crowd.
Reminded me of the St. Louis parades of the early 90s.
The AR MVPA fielded eight vehicles. I decided to take the Staff Car
but knew it might not make the whole parade because it tends to
overheat when idled for a long time. True to form it quit just
short of the end, right in front of Bass Pro Shop. Just like
someone turned the ignition off. Three girls on their lunch break
jumped off the curb and pushed me off the street and into the Bass
Pro loading dock. So I hung out with the girls and watched the rest
of the parade. After cooling for about 30 minutes it still wouldn't
start, even with starting fluid, so I got a ride from one of members
back to the hotel to get my trailer. When I got back in about
another 30 minutes the darn thing started right up. I should have
just been patient and waited for it to cool. I think the coil might
be getting hot and opening up. I've been told that was a common
problem on these as the coil is mounted on top of
the distributor right behind the radiator. Other than that the car
did great and got a lot of attention. Our whole MVPA group got a
lot of applause!
Here are a few photos. We were right behind
the Branson Ducks.
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11 Nov 09: (Branson) Veterans'
Day Parade (by Rita Allison)
AR MVPA was well represented at the 74th
annual Branson Veterans Day Parade sponsored by the American Legion.
Members and vehicles participating were: Joe and Rita Allison, GPW;
Bob and Gloria Blakeney, GPW; Floyd Blakeney, M151A1; Gus and Jenny
Jones and granddaughter Shelby, M38Al; Dan, Susan, Luke, Daniel,
Nathan and Anna Sharon, M38 and Trailer; B.J."Johnny" and Lacy
Smith, MB; Steve Smith, 41 Ford Staff car; Bill and Sara Thorne,
M38; Sedric Wirt with Korean Veteran friend, GPW. The weather was
great and our group was well received by a larger than usual crowd
of respectful, patriotic citizens. On the evening before the parade,
most of the group enjoyed eating at Lambert's Cafe, home of the
throwed rolls while Bill and Sara were VIP's at the Marine Ball.
Then some drove back through town to enjoy the Christmas lights. |
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11 NOV 09: (Branson)
Veterans' Day Parade Photos by Dan Sharon
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11 Nov 09:
(Van
Buren) Veterans' Day Parade (by James Starbird)
The Veteran's Day Parade began
at the Van Buren Courthouse around 6 PM. Participants were pretty much
mixed in together. Our M38 was not running, so we couldn't
participate this time. I didn't know the drivers of the vehicles pictured. There were 5 or 6 military vehicles in the parade. The route ran from the Courthouse East up Main Street and ended
at the Baptist Church. The crowds loved the military vehicles.
 
(by Tom Creason) I was there with my
M35A2 deuce and a half. I had a truckload, son and son in law
in the front with me and 12 in the back. Had a great time, as
far as I know there were only 3 vehicles there, all deuces: Lewis
Anderson, with his sons in the back of his M35A2; Jerome & Marsha
Casey in their M35A2, and me in mine. I took one picture before
dark, this is my truck.
Ted Applegate drove his CUCV M1008
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10 Nov 09: (Dallas,
TX) Display at VA Hospital
(by Jerry Gardner, President of ETPWMP)
On November 10, the day before
Veterans Day, the East Texas Piney Woods Motor Pool (ETPWMP)
was invited to put a couple of their Historic Military Vehicles
(HMV) on display at the hospital entrance of the Dallas Texas VA
hospital. This was part of the VA hospital celebration of Veterans
Day.
Ken Thompson
and Jerry Gardner of the ETPWMP traveled to Dallas with their
jeeps and placed them on display in the grass next to the main
walkway into the hospital entrance. Jerry displayed his 1942 GPW
Jeep and Ken had his M151A1 Jeep. We were set up on display by 8:30
a.m. and almost immediately were swamped with veterans and hospital
visitors looking at the HMV’s. The vehicles brought back floods of
memory to the veterans and we heard many stories and experiences
from the veterans. This was a continual story all day long. We had
veterans, hospital guests, hospital workers surrounding the vehicles
all day long. We did not have time to break for lunch and barely
had time for a bathroom break. The response was overwhelming. This
went on until the hospital slowed down for the day around 5:00 p.m.
at which time we pulled our vehicles out to load up and go home.
ETPWMP member Ken Thompson
has gone to the hospital many time as a patient and suggested to me
that we should do this. I called the public relations director and
suggested it to them. They set up the date and invited us to come.
The hospital was overwhelmed and pleased with the response from the
veterans and guests. This was the first time this giant facility
had done anything like this. They have told us they have an event
in February and would like for us to come back. We will do it.
This was a very rewarding event.
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07 Nov 09:
(Fayetteville) Toys for Tots
(by Jerome Casey)
On the 7th of November, the
Marine Corps League had representatives at the Fayetteville Toys
R Us for their annual Toys for Tots campaign.
Jerome Casey drove Jerome and Marsha’s
M35A2 “Big Nasty” to the Toys R Us store in support of the
campaign.
Rex Foust, long-time friend of Jerome and
Marsha, is heavily involved in the local Toys for Tots Campaign.
He and his girl friend Joey handled donations. Also helping out
was James Quinn (USAF Retired). Reports indicate donations were
good
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07 Nov 09:
(Plumerville) 3rd Annual Veterans Parade (by Ev Harless)
The Plumerville Veterans'
Parade began at 1100. Thirteen AR MVPA members participated in
this event: Vic Brown rode on the Veterans' float; Fred
DiVincenzo drove his Military decorated Ratmobile; Betty Smith (WWII
Veteran and newest honorary member of the AR MVPA) was a rider in
Paul Harless's GPW; Joe & Rita Allison followed in their MB; Bob &
Gloria were next in line in their GPW; Floyd Blakeney's M151A1
with passengers David Vaught and Joe Tyler was the 4th military
vehicle; Pete Rossi was next in line in a M38; last in line was
Steve Smith's Command Car, with Ev Harless and Spookie as
passengers. Representative Johnny Hoyt dedicated
the Veterans monument. The Attorney General’s office
representative dedicated a memorial monument in memory of Joey
Cannon (shot in the line of duty when he stopped a vehicle on Hwy
64, earlier this year). Joey's family was presented with a plaque.
Food and music started at noon. Additional photos are available in the photo gallery.
 
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24-25 Oct 09:
Ft. Smith (by James Starbird)
The National Park Service hosted a Time Line in Fort Smith at
the National Historic Site. It mainly dealt with feeding the troops. James Starbird
displayed his M38, along with Food Rations and other military
items depicting Ft. Chaffee during the Korean War era.
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17-18 OCT 09:
Olive Branch, MS (by Jeff
Clark of the Mid South MVPA)
On October 17th
and 18th the Mid South Chapter was invited to display our
vehicles alongside the Aluminum Overcast. This is a B-17G that was
built in 1945 and is owned and operated by the Experimental Aircraft
Assoc. based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It landed at Olive Branch, MS
airport on the 15th. This is just south of Memphis in
Desoto county. I believe most of us were awe struck just being
in the presence of such a beautifully restored war bird. The crew
and the local EAA chapter members were all great people and really
enjoyed looking at our historic vehicles. We went through the plane
for a tour , but unfortunately the rides were quite expensive and we
were satisfied with just watching her take off and land. We
definitely made this group more aware of the MVPA and hope they will
be in touch with other local chapters so that they might be invited
to participate. The plane has a web site that includes all their
tour stops.
www.B-17.OR
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10 OCT 0 9:
Tyler, TX Texas Rose Festival Parade (by Jerry Gardner,
president of ETPW Motor Pool)t
The Texas Rose Festival is held
in Tyler, TX in the month of October. Tyler is known as the Rose
Capital of the World. Ever year, since 1933, they celebrate the
Rose industry with a gala that lasts 5 days in Tyler. The main
attraction during this event is the Rose Festival parade which is
held on a Saturday. The parade lasts over two hours and is full of
floats, bands, classic cars and trucks, all kinds of groups,
organizations, dignitaries, Senators and Congressmen. This parade
is televised live in Texas and is seen by over 20,000 live and in
person spectators. The parade finishes up by going in the Rose Bowl
football stadium and around the track. The stadium is full of
spectators.
The day was overcast with a light
mist. However, the mist stopped just before the parade started.
Last year, 2008, the East Texas Piney Woods Motor Pool did not exist
but we still had four historic military vehicles (HMV) in the
parade. This year after being organized we had ten HMV in the
parade. We had a very diverse group; two WWII jeeps, an M38, M38A1,
two M151’s, an M3A1 Scout car, two M35A2’s and a British Ferret. We
carried the parade Marshall and a U.S. Congressman in our Jeeps as
well as a Cub and Boy Scout troop in our M35A2’s. The parade went
off extremely well and our HMV’s were very well accepted. As matter
of fact, the Rose parade officials called me a couple months before
the parade to be sure we were going to be in the parade. The
spectators and officials loved our entry last year and wanted us
back. Next year we hope to have a larger unit in the parade.
 
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03 OCT:
(Atoka, TN)
The
Mid South Rally was held at the Ball Park in
Atoka, TN. There were approximately 15
military vehicles on display. Joe & Rita
Allison and Paul & Ev Harless drove over
from AR. Jerry & Jacki Gardner drove in from
TX, Jack Brannon came from MO and Don & Ruby
Essigman and Scott & Denise Harrison came up
from MS. A group of Confederate re-enactors
fired their Civil War Cannon. There were
crafts booths set up, karaoke singing,
entertainment, an antique car display and a
Veterans center for information. It was an
enjoyable day with good food served by the
Mid South MVPA.
Additional photos areavailable in the Photo
Gallery:
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27 SEP 09:
(Mt. Nebo) by Bruce Darden
Joseph Poss, Conrad Clark &
I took a trip to the top of Mt. Nebo the day after the MVPA Rally.
The weather was great. We had a picnic on the Sun Set end.
Joseph & Conrad had their work cut out for them steering their
M35A2s on the very sharp switch back. The power steering on my
M51A2 worked well!
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11-12 SEP 09:
Powhatan (Lake Charles State Park)
WWII at the Lake (by Steve L. Smith)
Chapter members Randall
and Kristen Watts put on another great "WWII at the Lake" event at
Lake Charles State Park near Powhatan. When I arrived mid-day on
Friday there were approximately 600 school children spread out in
groups all around the main parking area. The reenactors talked
about their displays and WWII history with the individual school
groups for 20-25 minutes and then the groups would rotate to the
next station. This worked quite well and the kids seemed very
interesteAR d in what they were seeing. I got my Jeep and 37mm
unloaded as quick as I could and joined the Motor Pool group talking
about the vehicles of WWII.
Saturday was busy as well with our displays open to the public all
day and a great little battle reenactment was staged early in the
afternoon. They had constructed two bunkers for the Germans to
occupy and the allies had to take them out. A couple of young
reenactors were assigned to man the 37mm with me and we used the gun
with great effect against the bunkers. For a completely unrehearsed
battle it went surprisingly well and the crowd thanked us with a
round of applause. Earlier in the day, near where I displayed my
Jeep and AT Gun, a reporter from AETN was conducting recorded
interviews with WWII veterans. It was a great honor to meet these
men and listen to their stories. But it was hard to get too far
from our displays. The crowd was light but steady all day long and
there were many questions being asked.
Randall Watts is the park superintendent and he provided all the
perks the park had to offer including a nice RV for me to use in the
camping area. Randall and Kristen worked tirelessly to keep all the
reenactors happy and cooked lunch and dinner on Friday and
breakfast, lunch, and dinner, on Saturday. All the meals were as
good as the company. I saw lots of smiles and heard no complaints
from the participants. It was a wonderful weekend in an ideal
setting for such an event. Can't wait till next year!
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07 SEP 09:
(Canton, TX)
Canton Veterans Event on Labor Day (by Jerry Gardner)
On Monday,
September 7, we had been invited to attend an event put on by the
Canton VFW to help draw attention to their construction project and
to help raise funds for the memorial construction at hwy 19 and
FM243 in Canton, TX Some of us convoyed over from Tyler and
met at the VFW site in Canton. We had a spectacular turn out
of vehicles: 1942 GPW, Jerry
Gardner; 1943 GPW, Rick
Ellison; 1943 M3A1 Scout
Car, Mike Gamble; 1961 M35A2W/M105
Studebaker, Mike Eckert; 1968 M151A1
Mutt, Ken Thompson; 1971 M35A2 AM
General, Scott Easley; 1972 M151A2
Mutt, John and Bob English; 19?? Mule, Rick
Ellison The VFW chapter
had an excellent presentation and fund raiser. The sold helium
balloons to recognize veterans and turned them all loose at one time
at the end of the ceremony. After the ceremony, all the
military vehicles stayed around for display and than departed with
some quests convoyed into town for a hamburger. We had a very
impressive group of HMV in convoy and turned a lot of heads. After
lunch we all traveled back to the VFW site and disbanded. Mike
Eckert (M35A2w/M105 trailer) and I (’42 GPW) convoyed back to
Tyler. It was a good day.
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05 SEP 09:
(Eureka, Flint Hills, KS) Eureka
Flint Hills Convoy - (by Judy
Cross)
What a
wonderful day of convoying through the Flint Hills.
It looked like it was going to rain and then later
the sun came out and the hills were beautiful. We
arrived in Eureka around 10 a.m. and unloaded our
vehicles. There were 6 vehicles and 11 members
present. President, Dave Billings, led us in the
Pledge of Allegiance of the Flag and Gary led us in
prayer.
We ate lunch
at Cindy's Copper Kettle where, Cindy, came out and even
washed our windows and gave us home made cookies to take
with us. Then we left for the hills, through mud, rocks and
even cows and wild horses. We stopped at an old school house
that the district uses as a fire station, an old Norwegian
church and also a stop at Preston Evenson's farm for a potty
break. Then on to Teterville, an old oil town and the
highest point of interest, a tall rock overlooking the whole
county. What beauty! On the way back around the Eureka
Lake with a stop at the maintenance shop to visit with
Willie and Rita Day. Rita went with us on the convoy and
Willie helped David with the trail plans. We arrived
back at around 5 p.m. and loaded our vehicles for home where
we will power wash our vehicles. Thanks to our son, David,
and his friends for such a lovely day.
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29 AUG 09:
(Perryville, AR) Perry County
Fair Parade (by Ev Harless)
Line-up for the Perry County
Fair Parade was at the Perryville High School. The theme this
year was "Huntin' Up A Good Time at the Fair". Paul & Ev
Harless were at the head of the parade in their Korean Era M37,
carrying the Color Guard Flags. Joe & Rita Allison followed in
their WWII MB. Their passengers were Madison Vining, the
2008 Perry County Little Princess, and her mom, Felicia Weaver.
Ben & Jane Hunt and their grand daughter Faith Hunt were next in
line in their Korean War Era M38. The parade included: various
fire engines; motorcycles; tractors; 4 wheelers; antique autos; 4 or
5 floats; horses, the Perryville High School band, Perry County Fair
Queens and Princesses; cheerleaders and football players. The
"Wild Man" was there from the Forestry Department. The streets
were lined with people all the way from the High School to the Fair
Grounds. There was a good turn out of participants and
observers. The children enjoyed collecting candy thrown out as
the parade wended through Perryville. It was a good event.
Additional pictures are posted
to the photo gallery:
 
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08 AUG
09:
(Branson, MO) Duck Ride - (by
Jerome Casey)
On 8 August Marsha and I went to
Branson and ‘Rode the Ducks’. In conversation with the driver (Captain
Foghorn) I made mention of the vehicles they have stored and my
desire to see them. The Captain told me they don’t do that part of
the tour during the busy season but offered to take us there after
he was off duty. The first area they have is where the rock
was quarried for the Table Rock Dam. At one time there was a
conveyor from this site to the dam site which stretched
approximately 1¼ miles. The view of the lake is beautiful from this
vantage point. In this area there was a Pacific Tractor and
Trailer, LARC Amphibious Cargo Carrier, DUKW with trailer, Armored
Personnel Carrier, two M211 variants, a Gamma Goat and jeep (either
GPW or MB). Most of these vehicles were, sad to say, in poor shape.
Above this site they have a trail through the woods with vehicles
along the way. These vehicles appeared to be in rather good
condition and are very complete. They included: M43 Ambulance, a
Half Track (sign showed M3 but it is a variant or modification I’ve
not seen), Studebaker Weasel, M5 High Speed Tractor, Scorpion
self-propelled gun and an Otter Amphibious Cargo Carrier. All
in all we spent about an hour and a half looking at these vehicles
and Capt. Foghorn was very gracious in taking his personal time to
give us a tour of these vehicles. By the time we left the sun
had all but set.
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08 AUG
09:
(Heber Springs, AR) Old Soldiers'
Parade - (by Don Pearson)
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