From: MVTrucker@aol.com
Date: Wed Jan 01 2003 - 11:00:57 PST
I've been following the thread and find it interesting. It would be great
if we could get enough of our younger people to take an active interest
in our military vehicles so that they preserve them for future generations.
I did recruit one. When I bought a raggedy M151A2, my daughter,
twenty-five at the time, jumped right in and we did a complete restoration
of the MUTT, together. We did a fantastic job on it and I'm sure it would
win a trophy if we entered it in a MVPA show, but that's not my gig.
She and my son also drive my deuces. They crack a gut when a prospective
buyer of a deuce is concerned about power steering :) A few of my truck
buyers, getting a deuce for off road play, have turned out to be mil-vehicle
enthusiasts and are looking for other mv's to add to what will be a
collection.
Next step: I posted a poster on the bulletin board of the VFW I belong to.
This poster announces that I want to enhance Bridgeton's Memorial Day
Parade by entering as many of my mv's as I can. People are signing up to
drive everything from my restored 1945 MB to my 5-ton wreckers. Whenever
I enter a parade with one of my mv's, the younger people pay a lot of
attention.
Hopefully, the sight of a convoy will excite them more and they start asking
questions. One of my answers will be to hand them a MVPA membership
application.
As was mentioned in an earlier post, a Model A fell out of demand because
the people with the memories of those cars died. Well, how can we expect
a twenty year old fellow to connect with a M151 or a M37? They have no
memories of driving them. When I sold the 1925-27 Dodge Brothers and
Graham brothers vehicles I inherited from my Dad, they went to men in their
late seventies. Younger people wanted to make them into street rods.
Okay, how in heck do we get the younger people interested? It can be done.
For instance, as most of you know I'm getting up there in age, but I did not
serve in an army during the War of the Rebellion. I did aquire an acute desire
to own and admire the weapons used during that campaign. Why? Well, my Dad
was into CW reenacting during the Centennial and I got involved. It wasn't
long before I amassed a collection Civil War swords, rifles, pistols and
carbines.
I don't have them anymore, so if by chance a devious person is reading this
post,
don't come a knockin', or sneaking, Smith & Wesson answers the door...
Joe Young
www.joeyoung.com
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