The FReeper Foxhole Studies The Military Jeep - October 17th, 2003

refer to 'Educational Sources' | various

[stainlessbanner]

Every Jeep owner can identify with this song: "Four-Wheel Drive" by CW McCall

"Now I got racin' stripes and dual pipes
And Smokey's got a Ford
Got a mill with a four pot carb, you know
But Smokey's stroked and bored
Well, the chase was on, but I had the edge
With a rig that'll never fail
Got a CJ-5 with a four-wheel drive
And Smokey on my tail

Yeah, he was.

Well, I dropped on down to granny low
And I made a hard right turn
My big ol' fat Commando tires
Went slashin' through the corn
Well, the tassels blew
And the kernels flew
And it looked like yella hail
Just cookin' alive in a four-wheel drive
With Smokey on my tail"

 

[Darksheare]

Yeah, the autotranny in it was kinda odd.
One hummvee we had you could shift out of low onthe fly.
Another one you had to come to a complete stop to change between 'sand traction' and 'road speed'.

The deuce-n-halfs we had were weird too, no matter how you shifted, it sounded like you were grinding rocks.

[SAMWolf]

Morning HJinx. I remember using our flakjackets as seat cushions. DOn't think they would have really worked if we hit a mine but it didi put our minds at ease.

[SAMWolf]

Love that song! Now I'll have that tume in my head all day.

[SAMWolf]

The deuce-n-halfs we had were weird too, no matter how you shifted, it sounded like you were grinding rocks.

Not weird, they're supposed to sound that way. At least everyone I ever saw did.

[w_over_w]

Morning Glory Snip & Sam~

Damn . . . the "stuff" I get to learn everyday on the Foxhole. Do you remember the scene from MASH when Col. Potter's Jeep got run over by a run-away tank? He pulled out his .45 and put the Jeep out of it's misery. Gee . . . I wonder where Hollywood got that idear?

[SAMWolf]

Morning w_over_w. Does Hollywood ever come up with an original idea?

[w_over_w]

The Bronx, New York got its name from explorer Henry Bronk.

I guess they decided to spell his name phonetically? ;^)

BTW, in celebration of Gourmet Coffee Week, I mixed Seattle's Best with "Old Hampton's of SF" and "Trader Joe's House Blend" . . . yowsers!

[w_over_w]

Does Hollywood ever come up with an original idea?

I think they would say "art follows life" . . . or some happy horse sh!t answer like that . . .

[manna]

Hey, SAM.

[Darksheare]

You mean they're supposed to sound like that?!
I thought I'd killed it, I don't drive stick after that!

[SAMWolf]

Stick is the ONLY way to drive.

[SAMWolf]

This latest Hollywood trend to make old TV shows into movies shows what a lack of talent the "new" writers have.

[SAMWolf]

Okinawa

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks for the pics SAM. I love the jeep on the sub. LOL. And they traded it for 3 gallons of ice cream!!!

[Darksheare]

(not for me.)
I am teh Transmission Killer!

[snippy_about_it]

Morning w/w.

[Darksheare]

Jeep on a sub..
That's hysterical.

[stand watie]

thought you might enjoy a little rememberence from my early days as an MP officer.

in the army material & supply regulations, there is a term called "acceptable substitute" for a "requested item". this is something which "will fully perform the mission essential tasks" of the "requested item".

in 1970 i was the Provost Marshal (2Lt) of a small installation in BRD & was authorized an MP sedan/staff car & an armed bodyguard/driver, due to the terrorist threats to US personnel.

the normal issue for a PM staff car was either a Ford Crown Vic, Buick Electra or a Mercury Marauder. the "powers that be" in supply told me that NO sedans were available, but that an M38A1 MP jeep was an acceptable substitute for a sedan.

NO M38A1s were available, so the M37 3/4 ton truck would be issued as an acceptable substitute for the jeep.

NO M37s were available, so we were told that a 2 1/2 ton truck, cargo, multifuel was an acceptable substitute for a 3/4 ton truck.

the ONLY "duece & a half" that was available for issue was a "shop van, aviation mechanics, improvised, hardshell rear body". THAT is what they issued me.

you should have seen the "final product", which my German "workleader" at the motorpool "locally modified" for me!

the truck had a 8" white stripe down each side, with PROVOST MARSHAL in 6" black letters,revolving red/blue roof lights, 2 search lights,2 sirens, martin horns, 4 radio antennae, a mount for an M2 MG AND best of all, a diesel-fired cookstove in the van body & TWO nice twin beds!

my driver & i slept better/warmer in the field than almost anybody, with the POSSIBLE exception of a "4-star general"!!!! (i suspect that the folks sleeping on the "cold wet ground" up at "Graf" hated our guts, we didn't care, as we were warm & well-fed.)

btw, my driver was a good cook & was able to feed all 18 of our MPs out of our "MP Sedan"! for ONCE the "supply system" did something nice for the "troops in the field"!

free dixie,sw

[snippy_about_it]

the truck had a 8" white stripe down each side, with PROVOST MARSHAL in 6" black letters,revolving red/blue roof lights, 2 search lights,2 sirens, martin horns, 4 radio antennae, a mount for an M2 MG AND best of all, a diesel-fired cookstove in the van body & TWO nice twin beds!

LOL. I love it! Any pictures???

Thank you so much for sharing your story on today's thread, and thank you for your service as well.