MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Create a thread to track the progress of you MB/GPW restoration progress. Previously a General Discussion board.
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rondo
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by rondo » Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:17 am

I remember when I saw my first ww2 jeep. Was attending a military school at Ft. Bliss TX in 1995. this jeep was in nearby New Mexico, restored, with a M1919A4 and about 9000000 rounds of ammo attached to it. I was in love!!
My first jeep ride was when I was stationed in Germany in 1998; this gal was selling her 95 Jeep YJ. I took it for a drive with the top down. That was the second time I've ever been in love :lol:

still have that jeep. it was stock then. looks like this now
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42 GPW; 41WC6
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Joe Gopan
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Sep 25, 2016 7:35 pm

70 years makes a difference, I never noticed how cold a Jeep ride was when I was a tyke.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE HAS LASTED FOREVER

Post by Joe Gopan » Tue Sep 12, 2017 3:52 pm

And I feel just as excited today when I get out my MB or M-38A1 as I did when I was given my first MB, WC, CCKW and CJ-2A ride 70+ years ago.
Not many youngsters get their first ride in a brand new 1945 Jeep driven by a WWII Ranger who just a few months before was leading patrols into Belgium.
WWII MV's and old Jeeps are a "good for what ails ya" hobby. I met my wife while I was driving a Jeep. She had her hair in a pony tail , was wearing shorts and was washing her car. I got brave, stopped my M38A1, said "Hi" and offered her a Jeep ride which has lasted 47 tears. Today is our 47th Wedding Anniversary. :)
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

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199th MP
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by 199th MP » Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:46 am

nice to see you back joel.

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Michael O.
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Michael O. » Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:55 am

Happy Anniversary to you and the Mrs!
Michael O’Connell

Too many jeeps…and a Dodge.

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Mark 1
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Mark 1 » Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:59 am

Nice story, who would not want to stop and ask a pretty girl in shorts and pony tale for a ride :)

Happy anniversary.
cheers.

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:09 am

The first CJ Parts man in our area was a gentleman named Ripley. Rip was also a WWII Army Air Force veteran was a sheet Metal Repairman who was proud of having done repairs to "Memphis Belle".
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon May 21, 2018 6:00 am

Every time I drive my MB or M-38A1, I feel like I am still on that first JEEP ride 73 years ago. The excitement never goes away. Isn't that what a hobby is all about? :wink:
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Mark Jesic
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Mark Jesic » Mon May 21, 2018 12:31 pm

Absolutely Ben, i took mine to a show yesterday, and still got the "BUZZ", Oh and a suntan.

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Jul 16, 2018 9:01 am

Took a rare Sunday MB spin yesterday, drove by our former car salesman's house. Al Myshrall was in the Military Sea Transportation Command during WWII and experienced a few convoys to Europe during the war. He told of his ship being circled by the 4 Engine German FW-200 Kondor aircraft and the signalman on the ship would Morse Code the FW-200 to circle in the opposite direction and the plane would circle the other way/

Today is the anniversary of the first A-Bomb test in New Mexico. I have a 8X10 Glossy of General Grove and Robert Oppenheimer standing at "surface zero" next to a piece of rebar.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

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Lee Bishop
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Lee Bishop » Fri Aug 03, 2018 12:26 pm

I'd been around plenty of WW2 Jeeps at re-enctments, but the very first ride was in 1992 at the D-Day event in New Orleans. The owner took me in a spin around the parking lot. I wish I knew where he was today so I could thank him. The first WW2 Jeep I ever drove... I bought!

I'll never forget the time at a local car show, when a guy came up and told me he had been a feral orphan in the Netherlands, starving to death in 1945 and described his first Jeep ride. A GI came by and gave him a ride on his lap, in a WW2 Jeep. The GI gave him some food and took him to a collection point for these kids. "A man in a Jeep like that saved my life," he said while choking through tears. I asked which seat he'd rode in and he pointed to the passenger seat. I quickly tossed everything in that seat in the back, grabbed his cell and said, "Get in, you need a photo here." He gleefully hopped in while I took shots. I handed back his camera, and he was crying like a baby, smiling at the photos that worked out. The man hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, muttering something in Dutch. He came back with his wife and grandson, telling the story to them and pointing at the seat. His wife, whom I assumed long ago heard the story, took my hand and said, "God bless you."
That moment alone has made all the stress, cost and problems with owning a WW2 Jeep totally worth it. It's tough not to tear up every time I think about it.
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former US Army Captain and REMF :mrgreen:

Mark Jesic
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Mark Jesic » Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:34 am

This is what its all about Lee. The thing is these WW2 survivors are getting really thin on the ground now, we should treasure them, what a great story.

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Lee Bishop
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Lee Bishop » Wed Aug 08, 2018 1:14 pm

Mark Jesic wrote:
Sat Aug 04, 2018 12:34 am
The thing is these WW2 survivors are getting really thin on the ground now, we should treasure them
You're spot on, Mark.
It is so sad to know that before we know it, we will soon not have the option of having a WW2 vet see our beloved MVs.
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former US Army Captain and REMF :mrgreen:

Joe Gopan
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Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Joe Gopan » Wed Sep 12, 2018 9:42 am

That first M-38A1 Jeep ride with my wife is still putting along strong, today is our 48th anniversary.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

Joe Gopan
Jeep Heaven
Posts: 49841
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Proving Ground

Re: MY FIRST JEEP RIDE

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:09 am

Celebrate my 49'th anniversary Sept 11. Sure miss our old WWII Veteran Shop Crew at our family business. Milton Andrews was an F-80 Mechanic in Korea for 3 years with the 80th Fighter Bomber Squadron, and witnessed Chuck Yeager testing the P-84 at Muroc while he was training to be a Mechanic on the P-84.Andy was from El Monte, CA. Bob Woodworth was a Tech Rep for Sikorsky and told of Igor Sikorsky who spent much time circulating around the factory talking with his employees. Bob had fun outrunning "Circle C Cowboys" in a Jeep at the end of the war.
Kind of a dreary day, with drizzle. It will perk up as soon as I visit my Jeeps.
Army JEEPS is good for what ails you. :wink:
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO


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