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MVPA Convention – 2018 Part 2

Part two of Bob’s trip to te MVPA Convention in Louisville KY. In this special episode, Bob talks to two World War II veterans about their experiences.

First Tom Grasser, talks about landing on Omaha beach with his WC54 Ambulance.

Then Bob listens to Melvin Richardson tell about his experience in the Seabees throughout the Pacific theatre. Two great stories from the Greatest Generation.

Full Transcript

This is part two of Military Collectors from Louisville Kentucky the MVPA Convention.
I’ve got a special guest lineup for you this week two World War II veterans.
One who is a combat medic who drove a WC 54 ambulance across Europe, landed on the beaches at Normandy, Mr. Tom Grasser. I know you’re going to want to hear his story as well as Melvin Richardson, a Seabee who also served during World War II, right here on Military Collectors from Louisville Kentucky at the MVPA convention.
[Music]
We have a very special guest on today’s show and world war II veteran and our greatest generation guest today Tom Grasser from Kenosha Wisconsin and now from Albuquerque New Mexico but the story behind this gentleman has something to do with George Patton and the race across Europe and D-day, Omaha Beach and I’m gonna let Tom tell the story because it’s very, very special.
Tom, God Bless you my friend, thank you for your service, okay and World War II veterans are very special to this country.
Not many of you guys are left but you have a very special story and I want to talk about it today on Military Collectors, okay.
We started in Kenosha Wisconsin, there we were … we were drafted into service after I graduated high school I graduated June the 11th. June the 17th I was in the army.
Anyhow, they took us down to Fort Ord California where we were training and we there basic training, qualified on the rifle range and then they said you’re gonna be in the Medical Corps, drive an ambulance.
I said, “I don’t even know how to drive!” I said, “My mom got killed when I was 11 years old, we never had an automobile.” Anyhow, they said, “We’ll teach you!” And what happened was, we took it slow, easy and they were patient.
Anyhow, I learned how to drive, and of course, few times I run into things.
Fact is, I work at an information booth in Albuquerque New Mexico. People come in from Chicago or pardon me California and I say, “Did you ever go to the redwood forest?” “Yeah.” and I said, “Well, if you look up on the tree about nine or ten feet, there’s scars on there, that’s how I stopped the ambulance.” It’s grown that much now.
Anyhow, I did learn to drive and everybody had gone in service at that time with either 18 or 27. Everybody in between had been already drafted.
So we trained and then they took us the Boston or Newport News Virginia to ship out to go over the England.
And when we got over to England, why we got brand new ambulances. And the one, my ambulance, that I rode in was Third Army, we were with Patton, number 14.
And we trained in… where was it that we were at? Hanford Court, and we were way up, I guess it’s another end, by Scotland.
And we train down the roads there in all. And we used to come down the roads in England, the roads are very narrow of course, they go up the left side, we go up the right side, but our vehicles were so big they went very down the middle. And took up the whole road.
And yeah, make a long story short like, we got our orders to come on go overseas, and what we did is, we taped the doors and, and put a snorkel on the tailpipe and taped it to the back of the ambulance and they had some kind, I’m no mechanic, so I don’t know what it takes to keep anything under water for a any period of time, but it was like a gauze material with beeswax and wrapped the carburetor and distributor.
[Bob] To water proof it.
[Tom] Waterproof it.
We came off the LST after it hit the beach at Omaha Beach, went aground.
The front opened up, the ramp went down and the quartermaster had already put in plates so we wouldn’t dig into the sand.
We come off front-wheel drive and the back of it was like big balloon until we got on land that we came through.
Anyhow, we went it there for, oh, I don’t know, maybe two, three hours.
They said go in that field over there and they said there may be mines and that.
But we haven’t checked it. So, our Lieutenant got in the two and a half ton truck and crossed back and forth and zigzag and nothing blew up. So, we all parked our ambulances in there. And we had thirty ambulances.
That evening or afternoon we took off on up to the front. And we got to, and I may be lying now, it’s a long time ago, but since it was a Avranches, it was on the coast of France. And we’re all in the convoy in there 30 Ambulances bumper-to-bumper.
18 year old, well, I was 19 then, I had gone, anyhow, sitting on the bumper two planes come over they dropped flares.
Ah, they’re going to take our picture! All of a sudden they come back and they were strafing, and boy scouts honor, they came to those thirty ambulances there, Stuka dive bombers had screamers on the tail just roaring, make your hair stand up.
Anyhow, came to those ambulance and pull up over us. Did not drop a bomb or strafe.
Made another round, came up, got to us, and some of us admit…
pardon me…
but I’d been out the first night in France.
Anyhow, we made it through and pull in the field and camp for the night. And did not get, like I say, we didn’t get hurt at all.
Next morning a Jeep comes flying into the camp where we were and, I think, it was a lieutenant, he may have been a second lieutenant or first, I’m not sure, anyhow, just a young fella or older.
They jumped out he says I’m going to say Mass, anybody here know how to serve?
I put up my hand because I’d been an altar boy back when I was a kid.
Anyhow, we went ahead and I served, my one claim to glory, I served that Mass in France the first morning we were there.
So, we ended up, came in France, Belgium Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia, Italy and then into Germany.
And we, very fortunate, I tell you, that’s guardian angel was sitting on my shoulder all the way.
And we did not get a scratch, got home after, let’s see, got out of the army the Fort Chartres in the Illinois.
We got in there New Year’s Eve and everything was shut down.
So, they said they couldn’t get us out until the next day.
So, we got off the second of January 1946 and the rest is behind me.
But truly one thing I want to say, if it was not for the people back home, the women that went to the factories the fellas the 4Fs, that people looked at as, you know, no good.
They went to work. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, so help me, they had scrap drives, the food. People without food and grandpas and grandmas and uncles and aunts from that time, know what they put up, gas rationing to help us. And those are the heroes.
People come up and say, you know you’re, you’re a hero.
I did not.
I’m no hero!
I did what I was being paid to do.
And I was lucky!
I said the people back home that backed us up and esprit de corps for World War Number Two.
At that time was 200%, so help me, that, and the people back home are the heroes, not us.
There’s a lot of guys, of course, gave their life and all.
I just outlived the rest of them and that’s my story.
[Bob] Tom, God bless you, sir, (I’ve been blessed, believe me.) Thank you so much, (yep) being on our show and thank you, what you’ve done for our great country.
(yeah) We wish you many, many more years and they’re gonna have many, many more years.
[Tom] I’m ordinary enough to live a long time.
(Yes, thank you very much) I tell my priest, he says, Tom, how old were you?
That’s 90. I said that’s 90.
He says, you’re getting up there in age.
I said, yeah, I said, you know, I keep going around I knock on the pearly gates and Pete says, not yet. Get it right!
So, I got to keep going around till I get it all right!
[Bob] And you will, you will, my friend. God Bless you and thank you so much.
(Thank you.)
If you have missed any past episodes of Military Collectors, be sure to go online at military collectors tv.com and you can see not only past episodes, but also read in-depth features on the people and their pasion of their military collections.
I’m a little bit country. and I’m a little bit rock and roll. I’m a little bit Memphis and Nashville. With a little bit of Mo-town in my soul. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. But I know I love it so. I’m a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.
The all-new Chevy Silverado. It’s a little bit country and it’s a little bit rock and roll. [Music]
Take a moment to think about the food you buy and eat. Is it fresh? I mean, really fresh or is it shipped from a grower hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Well, here in South Carolina, we celebrate fresh, locally grown food and unforgettable meals with family and friends. So, choose food that’s rooted right here. Choose certified SC grown. It’s a matter of taste.
Wacca Wachee Marina located on the Waccamaw River in Murells Inlet, is a first class freshwater marina. For over 60 years locals and visitors have enjoyed Wacca Wachee Marina as a recreational stopover or as a launching spot on the river. Wacca Wachee offers affordable rates on wet slips, rack storage, fuel services, and a collection of amenities to enhance your boating expereince. For a great meal with a waterfront setting visit Deck 383 located dock level at the marina. Wacca Wachee Marina – Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
[Music]
[Bob] Well, our letter this week comes from Bill in Bangor Maine and Bill writes, “Bob, I’m trying to get into collecting Japanese World War II collectibles.
What are some of the more unique helmets that I might be able to get into and what might they be worth?” Well, Bill, I appreciate you writing into our email notes this week.
I’ve got an expert here that I think can answer your question.
Matt Fox from Quarter-ton Military Parts down at Chickamauga Georgia.
He is also a Japanese helmet collector.
Ok Matt, I got ask ya.
[Matt] Uh-huh.
[Bob] Bill wants to get in to collect the these, ok, what are kind of the differences here in what you find?
[Matt] Well, your standard Japanese helmet, just a lightweight helmet looks about like this, you don’t have a star in the front.
(Okay) That they’re very, very common.
They’ve gotten expensive since all the movies have come out.
(Right) But if you’re really wanting to get into something, that’s a little bit more interesting, not your norm.
You can get into like, like this is a naval marine.
Japanese naval marine.
These are very collectible.
These are the northern Japanese and since they were taller than your normal Japanese they consider them, more I guess, you could say, scary or more intimidating because they were larger.
I mean, they were large, ya know, and so, they made them Marines and it’ll have, of course, the anchor on the front and the later style will have a painted anchor.
Now, if you really wanted to get into some really weird Japanese helmets.
This one here for instance, this is a Japanese machine-gunners helmet.
These are extremely rare and what they did is they went one step from, one step further from a German helmet that had the brow plate and they actually integrated the brow plate in the front of the helmet.
This was actually found in a bunker in China by Chinese digger.
These were very unwieldly they were so heavy on the front that they would, you know, the, the movement of the gun would cause the helmet to follow with the eyes of the guy shooting it.
So, they weren’t real popular.
So, there was very few of them made this.
One was probably thrown down and a normal helmet picked up.
But if you really want to get into weird Japanese helmets, this is a good, this is a good find.
[Bob] Well, let’s tell Bill, this one’s worth what?
Five hundred.
[Matt] It’s probably worth, it’s missing the liner, yet it’s about 500.
[Bob] Okay, this one as it’s rare?
[Matt] This one?
I wouldn’t even know where to start.
I’ve never seen one before.
This is the only one I’ve ever seen.
I would say ballpark I mean, 2 – 300 bucks.
I don’t know.
I really don’t know where to even start.
[Bob] Well, most of the time when these things, when you start collecting them, you’ll get lucky and find it (oh, yeah, yeah.) But when somebody knows exactly what they got, you’re probably looking, in two to three thousand dollars for something like that.
(Wow, yeah.) So there you have it.
Well Matt, thanks so much for your knowledge, okay, and Bill, I hope that’s answered your question.
[Announcer] If you would like to have your military restoration project or collectible featured on the show, just send an email with your photos to photos at militarycollectorstv.com
For 50 years, Ranger Boats has been paying tribute to America’s armed forces and their families. Not only in the United States, but those men and women who serve all over the world. At Ranger Boats, we appreciate the dedication that these men and women do each and every day. Protecting and preserving the very foundations of our freedom. Ranger Boats wants to give back to America’s real heroes with our operation troop salute program. For more information visit RangerBoats.com today.
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If you are interested in preserving and collecting military vehicles, whether you’re a military veteran or just have a love for military vehicles in general, then you may be interested in joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association. The MBPA is dedicated to providing an International Organization for military vehicle enthusiasts. For more information, and all the benefits a member receives with joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, go online at MVPA.org.
[Music]
Well, in the first part of today’s show, we took you across Europe with a race in time with Patton’s army and a combat medic Tom Grasser.
Now we’re going to the Pacific Ocean and Melvin Richardson from Webster City, Iowa is here joining us today.
He was with the Navy Seabees out in the Pacific and what a special story.
Our World War II veterans, the greatest generation and here’s one of them today, 93 year-old Melvin Richardson.
Melvin thank you so much!
Godspeed, for your service, my friend, tell me a little bit what was it like in the Pacific during World War II with the Seabees.
[Melvin] When we first went in, I wanted to join the Navy and they said my eyes were too near sighted.
So, then when I was 18, they were gonna draft me, I said I wanted the Navy.
They said, okay.
Well, when I got ready to go to boot camp, who said to go to Virginia and I said, no.
I go to the Great Lakes in the Navy.
No, you’re in the Seabees!
That’s the first I knew anything about the Seabees.
I’d seen these folders with a guy with a shovel in one hand and a rifle in the other hand.
I didn’t think I wanted it, but it was too late.
But it turned out for the best.
The good thing was that most of the Seabees average age, I was in, was like 36 or 37 years old, I was 18.
So, they didn’t know what to do with me.
Finally, one day some guys were taking their driver’s test and they said come on go along.
Okay. You guys wait til it’s your turn.
I got in the truck that I had no idea how to run.
Looked at the dashboard and saw how you shifted it and backed it up, and did this, what he wanted. They didn’t realize it.
So, I drove a truck for probably two or three months.
And then one day you know if anybody wanted to operate a crane I said, “Sure, I’ll do it!” I operated the crane, we worked on the docks there in Honalulu.
And then we went to Iwo Jima and worked on the beaches.
From there I went to Okinawa.
[Bob] Well, you know, Melvin, again the greatest generation and the service that they had, what was it like for your family back home and you out in the Pacific?
Did they, were they concerned?
I mean, you, Iwo Jima, that that was, that was serious!
[Melvin] It was serious.
Well, I had no way…
of course, I wanted them to know where I was except with kind of mild hints.
But I think somehow they finally got the idea that they knew where I was.
But of course couldn’t write it in a letter or anything to let them know.
There just wasn’t any way to let them know where I was.
[Bob] Well, when you were in Okinawa were you still running the crane there as well?
(Yes.) So, was it a rebuilding of the ports for the ships?
What were you exactly doing?
[Melvin] Well, I ran a crane actually loading gravel on trucks.
If they needed some gravel someplace, I would load the truck.
Most of the time it was pretty much just that.
[Bob] Was that was the crane floatable or was it up on up on dry land?
[Melvin] It was on dry land on crawler tread.
[Bob] Now, in, at Iwo Jima, how difficult was that?
I mean, of course, obviously you came ashore after they secured the beachhead and all of that.
[Melvin] Well I’m not so sure it was all secured.
We spent 30 days in foxholes.
We dug down in and used sandbags to build up the walls.
We lived in for 30 days at the base of Mount Suribachi.
And then they moved us up in to tents up over the airstrip.
Well, I don’t know.
Just sort of got along with what they did, with what they give you.
We’re gonna come to the showers, they dug a pit and the water seeped into it, but it was too hot.
You couldn’t stand it, underneath, because Iwo Jima was actually a volcanic island and the water was hot and it was sulfur!
Soap wouldn’t suds.
So, you just did the best you could with it.
[Bob] Well, you know, Melvin, I will tell you, it’s one of those things that soldiers understand how to survive and obviously you all did that so well in the Pacific.
And based on all of the hard work that you did during your service, how long did you stay in and then when did you come off active duty?
[Melvin] Well, I went in the 1st of September of 1943 and we got out the 1st of February of 1946. And all that time I was never home.
[Bob] Well, one last question Melvin, when you got home, what did you do for the rest of your life?
Okay, and, and I know your shirt says I’m 93, I’m 18 with 75 years of experience.
I, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a shirt that way.
Tell me what, what did you do?
Obviously, the good Lord blessed you, got you home safely.
What did you do with the rest of your life, sir?
I don’t think I was home more than a month and I met the prettiest, loveliest girl you ever laid eyes on.
And we got married.
I worked in Omaha in a hotel house first three years we were married.
Then I started farming.
And farmed for 25 years.
We’ve never really got very far with it.
And I’ve done some carpenter work, so I went into just remodeling and doing carpenter work.
In the eighties that kind of went down hill and we’re looking for something to do when I saw this ad about computerized embroidery.
And that’s what this is, is computerized embroidery.
And started a business, it was 30 years ago and right now my daughters are doing very well with it.
So, you just kinda got along with what you had.
[Bob] Well, everybody loves a great sweatshirt with a great saying, they do.
Well sir, thank you so much again for your service.
Thank you for being here with us today.
And I just want to wish you Godspeed and happy birthday on your upcoming birthday, and many, many more to come.
If you have missed any past episodes of Military Collectors, be sure to go online at military collectors tv.com and you can see not only past episodes, but also read in-depth features on the people and their pasion of their military collections.
[Music]
I’m a little bit country. and I’m a little bit rock and roll. I’m a little bit Memphis and Nashville. With a little bit of Mo-town in my soul. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. But I know I love it so. I’m a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.
The all-new Chevy Silverado. It’s a little bit country and it’s a little bit rock and roll. [Music]
If you are interested in preserving and collecting military vehicles, whether you’re a military veteran or just have a love for military vehicles in general, then you may be interested in joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association. The MBPA is dedicated to providing an International Organization for military vehicle enthusiasts. For more information, and all the benefits a member receives with joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, go online at MVPA.org.
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I hope you’ve enjoyed part two of our MVP a series here on Military Collectors from Louisville Kentucky at the MVPA Convention. All of the folks that made our visit possible and who put on this great event each and every year, our hats off to you guys. If you’d like more information about the MVPA just log on to their web site become a member at MVPA.org or go to militarycollectorstv.com and you can also log on to their website there and become a member because preserving history like these vehicles right here the one that Tom Grasser drove across Europe, these are what this whole program is all about, is preserving our military heritage and the MVPA and all of its members do so well with that.
And I’d like to say also that all the guys Tom Clark have an MD and those key members of the board of the MVPA serves such a great audience when it comes to putting on and preserving military history through the military vehicle Preservation Association.
Well again Military Collectors is honored, it’s a privilege to be here each and every week to showcase what these folks are doing around the country. We’ll be back next week with another episode of Military Collectors. [Music]

MVPA Convention – 2018 Part 1

This is part one of Bob’s visit to the 2018 MVPA Convention in Louisville Kentucky. In this episode, Bob talks with the new president of the MVPA and get’s his take on the organization.

This year’s emphasis is on World War I vehicles and Bob interviews a special “hands on” restorer of a World War I Light Patrol vehicle.

Then, he talks to the “King of Carts,” a collector who specializes in
WWI ammo carts.

Bob also get’s a look at a rare M1917 light tank from the Indiana Military Museum.

Full Transcript

[Bob Redfern] Welcome to Military Collectors this week.
Folks, we are in Louisville Kentucky at the Military Vehicle Preservation Association’s National Convention.
I’ve got a lot of great guests this week.
A lot on tap.
Military Collectors is going to go through this museum and this display like you’ve never seen before, right here on Military Collectors.
[Music]
Well folks, joining me now is the new president of the MVPA the Military Vehicle Preservation Association is Tom Clark from Canada.
A 30-year member and now the new president of this great organization here.
Tom, I’ve got thank you very much for being on the show today and, you know, I really want to emphasize your emphasis about what you as the new president want to do coming in to take over this great organization.
So, tell us all out there what what is your focus?
[Tom] Well, the primary focus, I’m really excited about the role and the responsibility is being president and also being a Canadian representing an international group such as the MVPA.
Being involved with a hobby for 30 years, and one of them, I think, our greatest challenges is growing the hobby and adding new members and reaching down to our next generation, the younger generation.
Getting them interested in the hobby as well.
So, that’s, that’s our primary focus right now is, is membership growth and developing the hobby being more inclusive versus exclusive.
Want to include groups such as model builders who can afford a model, maybe not some of the bigger models that you see here but some of the smaller models but also re-enactors and other interest groups and veterans groups.
Anybody who wants to be involved with us, we’re just opening the door for them now.
[Bob] Well, I have to ask you, you know, and we too want to help grow this organization and make folks understand what it is all these members do, not only for the Hobby, but for just history and military in general but, you know, one of the things I have to ask you, what is your collection like?
[Tom] My collection, well, my collection could be a lot better but I’ll have to get approval from my superior officer, my wife, so, she put up with me for 40 years, so I got to keep that, keep that happy as well.
Right now, I, well, used to own an M38-A1 which was a Jeep.
And it was a 67 pattern Canadian Army.
I now own world war II Canadian Army contract Willy’s MB.
And totally restored.
And I’ve got a M38 Canadian that I’m currently in the process of restoring.
Hopefully, it’ll be finished within the next five to six months so I’m pretty excited about that as well.
[Bob] Well, one thing is the new president here, I know, that you’re coming in, and of course, the convoys across America and all of that is just a big deal for the MVPA.
And I know 2019 is is one of those exceptional years, coming across gonna start in DC, Gettysburg and all of that.
And so, we hope to join you all there as well, but tell us about the convoy process because that really gets the message out across the country over, over a month and a half of the guys on the road.
[Tom] Oh yeah, yeah absolutely, incredible.
The convoy in itself is, is, is a way to showcase the hobby and its history in motion and that’s our magazine.
We’re changing our name up from Army Motors to History in Motion, which more accurately reflects the hobby as a whole covering off all the different services whether it’s Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard.
Any of the branches and any of our partner, Allied partners.
So, as you can see, throughout the entire complex here you have a good representation of those vehicles.
The convo itself, though, really builds that public interaction and, and we get great attention and we get great support.
And one thing you’ll find that we, we see as Canadians, when we come down here, is the support of the military, the veterans and the current serving members.
Which, we as an organization, really support.
So, the convo just fits hand in glove with us.
[Announcer] When Military Collectors continues, we meet a special collector and restorer of World War I vehicles who has a special skill despite his handicap.
If you have missed any past episodes of Military Collectors, be sure to go online at military collectors tv.com and you can see not only past episodes, but also read in-depth features on the people and their pasion of their military collections.
I’m a little bit country. and I’m a little bit rock and roll. I’m a little bit Memphis and Nashville. With a little bit of Mo-town in my soul. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. But I know I love it so. I’m a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.
The all-new Chevy Silverado. It’s a little bit country and it’s a little bit rock and roll. [Music]
Wacca Wachee Marina located on the Waccamaw River in Murells Inlet, is a first class freshwater marina. For over 60 years locals and visitors have enjoyed Wacca Wachee Marina as a recreational stopover or as a launching spot on the river. Wacca Wachee offers affordable rates on wet slips, rack storage, fuel services, and a collection of amenities to enhance your boating expereince. For a great meal with a waterfront setting visit Deck 383 located dock level at the marina. Wacca Wachee Marina – Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
For 50 years, Ranger Boats has been paying tribute to America’s armed forces and their families. Not only in the United States, but those men and women who serve all over the world. At Ranger Boats, we appreciate the dedication that these men and women do each and every day. Protecting and preserving the very foundations of our freedom. Ranger Boats wants to give back to America’s real heroes with our operation troop salute program. For more information visit RangerBoats.com today.
[Music]
[Bob] Well, as we continue this week’s show, World War I has been a focus here at the convention in Louisville Kentucky but I have a special guest for you all today and, I tell you what, he’s got a 1915 World War I Ford anti-aircraft gun and his Bob Roe from Atlanta Georgia.
He traveled all the way up here but I’m not going to tell you a special secret about Bob because I want him to tell you.
And so Bob, I want to thank you very much for being on Military Collectors today but tell me about this great piece of restoration, the vehicle that you had back here, this is, this is really neat.
[Bob Roe] Well, as you mentioned it’s a 1915 Ford Model T and it’s original to the family.
My wife’s family is from Leavenworth Kansas and this was sitting in a barn along with five other model Ts and they asked me to start getting involved in restoring them.
And I said, “I don’t know anything about Model T’s.
I don’t know anything about the technology.
Give me one I can screw up.” So, they pulled this old Doodlebug, which was a farm implement tool out of a converted Model T, out of the farm and they said, “Here, go at!” All of the metal work is original.
The radiator, the fenders, the tires, wheels, everything you see is original, except the wood, of course, got eaten up by termites sometime in the last hundred and three years.
So, we got the plans from Ford Motor Company to build a light open express wooden body.
And we’ve recreated this as a World War I Light Patrol vehicle.
[Bob] Well, you know, I think, what’s so unique about it is is the quality of the restoration, okay, so now I want it, I just have to do this, because, okay, listen, (I know what’s coming!) There, there are folks that have two great eyes, 20/20 vision, but folks, I want you to understand, Bob is blind.
He is legally blind and so, Bob tell the folks out there the rest of the story because I it’s so special.
[Bob Roe] Well, I grew up and, you know, child of a baby boomer and you know a lot of stress, a lot of cholesterol issues growing up, being in the corporate world and in 2005 I had a minor stroke that caused the blood supply to get cut off to the optic nerve in one eye.
And went to the doctors and they said you know the bad news is it never happens to guys, it never happens to guys under 60, and it never happens in both eyes.
Well, a year later I won the lottery, and I lost my second eye.
So my optical prescription is 20 over hand motion.
Doctor says, “How many fingers?” I don’t know, can you see my hand?
No.
And she does this and I see them, the movement, I see the motion.
So, obviously I was unable to continue to do my job in real estate.
I couldn’t drive.
I can’t read.
I can’t write because of my optical situation.
So, I’m now retired, forcibly retired, and on medical disability and my wife says, “What are you can do with your time?” And I said, “I’ve always wanted to restore a car.
I’ve always wanted to do a car.” Which opens up that can of worms, a muscle car?
T-Bird? A Model A? a Model T? what do you want to do?
Well, I always grew up just fascinated with the history of World War II.
I built every model kit there was to build.
My father served in World War II.
Jane’s father served in World War II.
I said, “I’d like to do a military vehicle.” We went up to a farmer’s field in Cleveland Georgia that I saw on the internet and he had a 1942 Ford GPW sitting in the field, engine held in with a ratchet strap, transmission held in with a ratchet strap, wrong seats, wrong windshield, and I felt it with my hands.
And I felt the rear panel and I felt the word F- O- R- D and I said, “This one’s going home with us!” I’m born and raised from Dearborn Michigan which is corporate headquarters for Ford Motor Company and that Jeep went home with us and I restored all by feel, all by touch, every leaf spring, every F marked nut and bolt.
We took it apart.
A lot of technologies available out there on the internet to help me read.
I could put a picture on a closed-circuit television and it would blow it up with enough magnification that I could kind of make out which part went where.
My family was a big help.
It became a team effort.
You know, I lost my eyesight but I didn’t lose my vision.
And I kept my eye on the prize and I wanted to get that Jeep done and the results of that project were in 2013, my 22 year old son drove my 92 year old World War II veteran father in a Veterans Day Parade in Marietta Georgia.
And that’s, that’s, that’s a vision I’ll always have.
I’ll always have that picture in my mind.
So then, it came time to do another military vehicle.
When it came time to do the Model T, I said, “Well, I want a Ford from every World War.
So, we did it as a World War I, light patrol vehicle.
Did that research, did our homework, realize how we wanted to do it.
We had the green paint in stock, so the rest is literally history.
[Bob] Well, I have one last question for you, Bob, how long does it take you to do the Model T?
So, both vehicles took us about the same time, just a little over a year.
Being retired, so obviously, it’s not a weekend project or it’s not a late night project.
Although, there was a lot of weekends and late nights involved in both of them.
So, if out of about a year to take it off, again, every nut, every bolt, every leaf of the leaf spring, get it down to bare metal, restore the metal, prime it, paint it, put it all back together.
The technology between the two vehicles very similar.
They’re both six volt, they’re both negative ground, they both start with a crank, if you need them to, and it took us about a year.
It’s a labor of love, as those in the hobby know, you don’t do it for the money.
You’ll never get the money out of it you put into it.
You do it because you think it’s important.
You do it because they’ve got a story to tell and you want to help them tell that story.
[Bob] Well, Bob, God bless you for the, from all of the folks at the MVPA convention here, and all those folks across the country who have a passion just like you do, but your passion is special and so I want to thank you for bringing this all the way up from Atlanta to Louisville Kentucky because, again, I know it’s a labor of love but it’s great to share these things because it has a story.
It’s your story and that’s so special, thank you.
[Narrator] Stay tuned, after commercial break, we’ll take a look at an unusual and rare collection of horse-drawn wagons from World War I.
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[Music]
[Bob] Well, joining me now is the King of Carts, World War I carts that is, Leonard Gramel from South Bend, Indiana and these carts, ammunition and machine gun carts, you very rarely see.
Probably less than 200 left in the world, probably all destroyed after the war and this guy from South Bend Indiana, this is his passion, this is his life, his collection, Leonard, I will tell you it is an honor and a privileged to have you here in Louisville Kentucky, but I just have to ask you, how many of these do you have?
[Leonard] I have 29 carts right now.
[Bob] And, you know, really the uniqueness of these, ok, how did you start your passion, your love to collect these things?
[Leonard] Well, I was a gun dealer for 32 years and I’d built water cooled and air-cooled Browning guns, belt-fed weapons.
And the 1917 carts are considered the ultimate accessory for a machine gun, especially the water-cooled belt-fed machine gun.
And so, this is the accessory that can hardly ever be found.
[Bob] Now, this one particularly, here is again one of those original carts.
[Leonard] This is one of the three I found in the creek.
[Bob] Yeah, just, just briefly describe it because, you know, not a lot of collectors, not a lot of folks who loved the military would even recognize what this was, right?
Tell me what makes this one so unique as an ammo carrier.
[Leonard] Well, they had to carry a lot of ammo and the wooden ammo boxes.
They didn’t have the stamping steel technology to make an ammo can like we have today so they made them out of wood, quarter sawn white oak painted OD green.
For World War I, the ammo cart carried either 14 boxes of ammo at 250 rounds per box of cloth belt loaded 30.6.
Or they carried 13 boxes and a water can like you see on the gun cart.
(Right.) The gun cart only carried six or seven ammo cans or ammo boxes.
The ammo cart carried 14.
What makes this distinctive is that of the three companies that made the carts, International Harvester Velie Car Company out of Moline, Illinois and the St. Louis Car Company out of St. Louis, Missouri.
Now the St. Louis Car Company made buses, tractors, trolley cars, trams.
They worked in steel. They made steel stamped.
(Oh, end plate.) for that, for the carrier, ends of the ammo carrier.
(Right.) They were the only manufacturer to make them out of steel.
The International Harvester and Velie Car Company made theirs out of wood.
So this is a distinctive cart. In the fact, that it can be verified is made by the St. Louis Car Company because the tags on the front of the carts are are not marked by the manufacturer, they just give the nomenclature of the military ordnance company, machine gun cart, ammo cart or spare gun cart.
So, this is a distinctive cart.
And if you notice all of them were painted Vickers because Vickers was supposed to be the premier gun that the US military was going to use.
But because England had been at war since 1914, they had made a contract with Colt for the 1915 Colt Vickers machine gun for the United States military.
Which would have been in 30.6, that was our standard cartridge.
So, all these carts originally were marked St.
Louis Car Company, used paint. The International Harvester and Moline vicar…
er, Velie Car Company, engraved them in the wood. They engraved it rather than painted.
So that’s the main story behind the three standard carts.
And the spare gun cart was declared obsolete because when we started using the Browning 1917 water-cooled, you didn’t need spare guns.
It would outlast any other water-cooled belt-fed weapon, is considered the finest gun of its day.
[Announcer] When Military Collectors comes back from commercial break, we take a look at a World War I tank that a whole community got involved in to restore and preserve American history.
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[Music]
[Bob] Well, here at the 2018 Convention in Louisville Kentucky of the MVPA, our focus today is on World War I and joining me is Jim Osburn.
He’s from Vincennes Indiana, a collector, 73 years old, a former judge, but this guy has got a collection that’s out of this world!
But he has got this M17 World War I tank behind us.
Jim, God bless you and thank you so much for what you all, you’re doing for preservation of history.
But tell me about this wonderful tank.
[Jim] Well, Bob, there’s the M1917 is extremely rare.
They made nine hundred and fifty in World War I, of that, only 20 still exist, accounting this one.
So, you can understand how rare they are today.
We didn’t have one at the Indiana Military Museum and at the price that the last one went for, close to a million dollars, we were’nt gonna have one.
And so, unless we put one together, a piece one together, build it or something.
We looked into that, we started finding some original parts but not a lot.
We decided we’re just going to build the rest to scale.
We’re going to get all the dock, all the drawings and all the specs and start doing it.
We got the, we got the steel donated.
We had various other things donated along the way that all made it possible and we had two very, very skilled metal workers that jumped in on this job and said, we’ll, we’ll tackle this!
So, that was three years ago and there it sits!
So, you know, it’s a long, long trail but we accomplished it!
[Bob] Well, I have to ask you, let’s go back a little bit.
(Yeah.) How did you get into collecting and preserving things like this?
[Jim] Seven years old, I started collecting shortly after World War II.
Only, all the World War II things were around, that people were still talking about World War II.
I just started hauling things home, helmets, you know, putting them in my parents basement.
Before long, the basement was full and they begin to notice it was filling, yeah so, that’s just how it started.
I’ve been collecting ever since I was seven years old.
It just went from small things to bigger things.
We went to Jeeps and went to artillery and it went to tanks and this kept getting…
now we have aircraft as well and, and now we’ve also formed the Indiana Military Museum which is, is a, which is a not-for-profit 501 C 3.
Which whereas all these things are housed now in Vincennes.
[Bob] Well, and you’re continuing to grow obviously the museum there to house all of the vehicles but how important is it to the economy there and how important is it to history that what you’re doing because it has a tremendous impact.
[Jim] Glad you mention that, cause its important both ways, locally Vincennes, a very historic City, tourism is important there and we’re kind of an integral part of that now and we have maybe 15,000 visitors a year come to the museum.
So, I had, that’s real important and it’s real important that we have youngsters and school groups veterans groups, they all come now to see the museum, see what we have, understand US military history better, it makes us very happy, very proud.
[Bob] Well, Jim you have another key piece here, very rare.
Let’s go take a look at this because it really interests me, although it’s not American.
(Yeah.) but it’s significant.
[Jim] It’s another rare armored piece, so I’ll show you.
(After you.) This is this, is a turret Maxim machine gun turret out of a German A7V tank.
Now people think the Germans had a lot of Tanks in World War I, nope, they built 20.
That was it. Only 20 tanks.
This is, this is one of six.
There would be six of these gun turrets in each one of those tanks.
After the War, all of the Allied powers got one of these tanks as a souvenir, shipped ’em home.
You asked, the British, the French, the Australians, and so forth, today only one of those still exist in Australia in the Australian War Museum.
All the others were scrapped.
This came out of the US tank “Nixie” which was, was it’s popular name and the Germans gave it.
This came out of that tank the day it was being scrapped and was saved.
So, it’s, this is an extremely rare piece of armour history.
This turret right here.
So we built again, our people built the rest of this to replicate exactly what that gun position would look like in the tank.
This is the original piece, right here, that it emphasizes.
So, we’re really proud to have this too, I mean, it’s, it’s a, it’s an interesting cog in the wheel of all this history of armour.
[Bob] Well, you know, Jim, I will tell you, I am so impressed with what you have done and over the course of your years of collecting.
That is why we’re doing what we do to showcase folks just like you across this country. So…
[Jim] We appreciate, appreciate being a part of that and then thank you for your interest in us I hope you’ll look hope you’ll come to see us.
[Bob] Well, if folks want to come see, they I know, you have a website where they tell everybody out there how they can log on, so they can come.
[Jim] Well, in the under Indiana Military Museum dot-com .org I think both.
And we’re open every day 10:00 to 4:00, every day of the year so they come to Vincennes, just ask for the Indiana Military Museum.
It’s right downtown because it’s next to the George Rogers Clark National Park.
We’re just adjacent to that perfect location.
[Bob] Well, that’s part one of Military Collectors this week from the MVPA convention here in Louisville Kentucky I want to tease a little bit about next week’s show.
It’s a two-part series and this ambulance right here, this is my personal collection, here I’m back at the motor pool, but the WC 54 1942 Dodge Ambulance.
Our guest next week was a young soldier with Patton’s army across Europe.
He landed at the beaches of Normandy in his WC 54 and he took that thing all the way to Berlin.
And Tom Grasser is going to be a special guest on our show as well as Melvin Richardson who was a Seabee during World War II.
Those two guys, I tell you, when you hear their stories, if it doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, just about like it did ours, I’m telling you, you just really have no idea the sacrifices that these two guys made as well as every veteran of the greatest generation.
So, with all of that, I’d like to thank everybody at the MVPA who made our visit possible to Louisville Kentucky.
We hope you’ve enjoyed Military Collectors this week.
Until next week, we’ll be right back here again on another episode of Military Collectors.
[Music]

MVPA National Convention – Cleveland Ohio

Military Collectors is at the MVPA National Convention in Cleveland Ohio this week!

Established in 1976, the non-profit MVPA is dedicated to providing an international organization for military vehicle enthusiasts, historians, preservationists and collectors interested in the acquisition, restoration, preservation, safe operation and public education of historic military transport.

If you would like to become a member of the MVPA click here: http://www.mvpa.org/join/

Season 2, Episode 6

Military Machines of American Freedom

This week we’re in Tallahassee with a very special guest who is restoring a Vietnam Icon, The Huey.

Did you know, the Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed “Huey”) is a utility military helicopter powered by a single turboshaft engine, with two-blade main and tail rotors. The first member of the prolific Huey family, it was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet a United States Army’s 1952 requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter, and first flew in 1956. The UH-1 was the first turbine-powered helicopter to enter production in 1960 for the United States military, and more than 16,000 have been built since.

Season 2, Episode 4

Episode 6: Russell’s Military Vehicles and Restorations

Join Bob this week as he travels to Cairo, Georgia and meets up with a life long collector and military vehicle restoration expert, Russell Deese. Russell has a very unique story to tell during his past 40 plus years of collecting and restoring military vehicles.

Russell has built and provided and built vehicles for movies like Fast & Furious, The Hunger Games and X-Men First Class. Russell will also show us the things to look for when buying a military collector vehicle. Don’t miss this episode!

I have been in love with the Jeep since I was just a little boy, but not just any jeep. I wanted a real Army Jeep since I could remember.
My dad had a salvage yard since the early 40’s. There were always Jeeps around the junk yard. I was born in 1962 so most of the Jeeps that my dad had at the time were starting to look pretty rough by the time I began to get interested in the little trucks.
I think I really began the love affair when I was around 6 years old (1968). My dad would buy me a little toy of the little Jeep. He told me before he passed away in 1997 that he would watch me carry the toy Jeep everywhere I went, church, dinner table, to bed, well you get the picture.
It became my security blanket. I still have my little Jeep. It is very old and it has all the wheels gone and pretty weathered as well. I believe it was made by DINKY. It is a cast metal Jeep of a Willys MA or FORD GP but not sure.
Anyway to make this a shorter story and I think I could go on for quite some time, I will shorten it. I use to help my dad fixing cars up and pulling engines. I was 12 when I pulled my first engine. It was a Chevy 350 out of a 1969 Chevy pickup.
My dad turned me loose to take it out. The only thing I think he did wrong was to give me the key to the 4400 Ford forklift tractor as help to get it out. Well I got it out, but not a pretty sight. I think I only took off the 2 motor mount bolts and transmission mount bolts. Everything else I figured would just disconnect itself, ha-ha.
It did and what a mess I made. I was so proud of myself, and when I hauled the engine up to show my dad, transmission still attached with all the wires and fuel lines etc., hanging off, well you can imagined what the look on his face looked like.
The neat thing is he wasn’t upset with me at all. He just looked at me and said “now if you can get the good motor I have over in the shop and put it back in the truck
and make it run again I am going to give you any vehicle in the junk yard you want, yes anyone of them”.
Well that settled it. I had always wanted the 1942 Ford GPW in the back under the big Oak tree. I use to go and pretend I was in the Army fighting our battles for the US Army from Live Oak, Fl. right there from the seat of that little GPW Army Jeep.
Anyway that was the vehicle I chose for my dad to give me. And I knew the only way I was going to be able to get it was to fix that old Chevy truck again.
After about 4 days of reading manuals and trying to make things fit with crying, mashed fingers, and plenty of electrical tape, ha ha, I did it! It ran and and actually pulled off on its own power!
Well I got my first Jeep but not just any Jeep. It was my USA 1942 Ford GPW serial number 66292 original Army JEEP. WOW! It was all mine.
It sat for years after that as my interest changed a little, but in 1978 I got my drivers license, and it was time to DRIVE and I knew which truck I wanted to drive. My Jeep.
So I began to fix my little GPW, and many many hours later, and after many reading hours I had brought the little thing back to life again. Can you imagine the feeling of driving this Jeep for the first time for real? Not pretending anymore, but really driving and feeling all the bumps and the wind in my face? Wow I did it.
I could go on and on, but to make a long story short, I now own “Russell’s Military Vehicles” and I restore Jeeps for a living, and business is good.
I have restored vehicles for the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, and for the Mayor of Orlando, Fl., as well as Camp Blanding, Fl. military base museum. I have also done one for Fantasy of Flight in Florida too.
Love affair? No, it’s more than that. It’s my life now.
My website is www.generationjeep.net
Russell Deese

Season 1, Episode 6

Dodge M37

The Dodge M37 – Three-Quarter Ton Four Wheel Drive Truck

The Dodge M37 three-quarter ton truck is a rugged military vehicle that did its part and made a big difference for Uncle Sam. It was put into service during the Korean War and became indispensable thanks to its multipurpose usability. Despite its slower speeds, every branch of the military adopted this tactical utility vehicle.

This vehicle should look highly familiar, since people have seen it in military movies and television shows. The truck has the large head, large 9 x 16 black rubber tires, and is painted olive drab with the mandatory white star centered on both door panels. It’s a large pick-up truck with the open-air bed often covered by a tarp canopy.

The Dodge M37 made its debut on the assembly line in 1951. There were over 115,000 units of the M37 made over the next eighteen years. The M37 three-quarter ton truck was part of a line of tactical vehicles based on the G502 WC series of Dodge vehicles used in World War II. The old WC line was easily adapted to produce the M37 three-quarter ton truck. Because the same assembly line and many of the same parts were used, the manufacturing cost for the M37 was lower.

Better yet, the vehicle reflected lessons learned the hard way in World War II. Many of the kinks and drawbacks from the old Dodge WC line were corrected when the M37 was being designed. Major improvements include a waterproof ignition system, better weather protection, and the ¾ ton truck was built to be able to ford high waters for crossing streams and rivers. The M37 was in every way a sign of improvement in manufacturing made possible by American wartime industrial ingenuity.

The basic frame of the truck was taken from Dodge’s Model T245. The truck has an L-head with a 6-cylinder engine with 58.2 kilowatts of power at a maximum rate of 3,200 rpm. The oil capacity is 6 quarts, with a 25 quarts capacity for the radiator. The fuel system accommodates 24 gallons and the transmission is a 4-peed synchro-shift.

The M37 truck weighs nearly 5,700 pounds without the optional winch. With the winch, it’s nearly an even 6,000 pounds. Its cruising speed is 45 mph with a maximum speed of 55. The 24 gallon fuel tank burns at a fuel efficiency averaging 6 miles to the gallon, with a maximum range of 150 miles before refueling is required.

The Dodge M37 ¾ ton truck quickly replaced other military vehicles based on the Kaiser M715 and Dodge M880 series, which were originally civilian commercial vehicles. The M37 came along as the alternative that had four-wheel drive, was much sturdier and tougher, and could withstand the extensive wear and tear demanded of vehicles by combat zones like Korea. Its strong yet narrow frame made it the ideal vehicle for scaling rocky slopes, passing over streams and rivers, and squeezing through narrow passageways. Keep in mind that the Korean peninsula is a very mountainous place with many cliffs, valleys, and waterways.

Military Collector Ranking

Collectability: ★★★☆☆
Rarity: ★★☆☆☆
Est Value: $25,000 – $50,000

Vehicle Specifications

Weight: 5,917 lb (2,684 kg)
Produced: 1951-1968
Engine: Dodge T-245 78 hp (58 kW)
Speed: 55 mph (89 km/h)
Number built: 115,838

Battle Tested: M37 Variations

The M43 ambulance – The M43B1 was an ambulance specially fitted to be able to carry four patient litters, or six to eight passengers sitting upright. The four litter bunks could be folded up and latched to the wall to accommodate upright passengers on bench-style seating. Thousands of these were used to transport wounded soldiers to field hospitals and aid stations between 1951 and the ceasefire in 1953.

The M201 telephone maintenance vehicle – Also known as the V41 Telephone Installation Light Maintenance and Cable Splicing Truck, this vehicle was mounted with a winch and spotlight for repairing cables, telephone poles, and other communications infrastructure.

The XM132 bomb service truck – This variation of the Dodge M37 was outfitted with an open air back and an arch-shaped metal cage for transporting bombs and other live ordnance.

The M42 command truck – The back was outfitted to make this vehicle a mobile office, including curtains, windows, interior lights, and a folding desk table.

The M56 tool truck – The M56 Chassis was mounted with an industrial winch and heavier suspension. This was a heavy duty maintenance vehicle and was used to build crash trucks for Navy and Air Force research.

The R2 airfield fire engine – This fire truck was often mounted with a winch, water tank, and fire hose. Not surprisingly, it was painted bright red.

The V126 radar truck – The large satellite dish on the back makes this variation hard to ignore or mistake

The MB2 fire and rescue truck – The MB2 was similar to the R2, though this vehicle was used for “forcible entry” rescues requiring the vehicle to crash through walls.

The M152 utility truck – The M152 was extensively used by the Canadian military to haul tools and special equipment.