Our "toys" were once a matter of life and death to many of our men,
including many of us on this list! Flowers in your jeep was a real nice
gesture on someone's part!
Regards,
Dan
----- Original Message -----
From: <INDUSTELE@aol.com>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2000 9:21 PM
Subject: [MV] Flowers in my jeep.
Just returned from retrieving my M422A1 "Mighty Mite" from a static display
at the Moving Vietnam Memorial Wall (or at least one of the moving walls),
that was on display at the Birmingham (Alabama) Airport with the Air Force
National Guard unit this weekend. A friend (who is both fellow MV club
member and a full time member of Air Guard) asked that I bring it out to
augment the display of the wall. I was more than happy to accommodate;
public relations and all, so out goes the Mighty Mite for a 3 day display.
(Kept under armed guard at the wall at all times.) Put a very small framed
information sheet about the mites and their use by Marines in Viet Nam, as
well as a smaller notice about the display furnished by the Dixie Division
MV
Club, a MVPA affiliate and a phone number for further info inside the back
of
the jeep. All very low key as to show respect for the surroundings.
No problems, picked up jeep this afternoon, answered some questions by
visitors about the jeep and Historical MV collecting in general. Loaded
mite
onto trailer and head for home.
Aforementioned friend called to make sure I had gotten the mite without any
trouble; then asks if "... they had gotten the flowers out of it?" I didn't
see any flowers in/on/under/near the jeep. But the thought that someone put
flowers in my jeep is somehow disturbing to me. Not the actual placement of
flowers in the jeep as I couldn't care less if they put flowers in the jeep
(as long as they didn't scrape the paint).
The thought that my TOY, from which I get so much pleasure, is seen in a
totally different light by at least someone or small group of someones, is
unnerving, at least to me. I get a great deal of pleasure fooling with all
the old Olive Drab stuff, enjoying the ribbing about shrinking my jeep in
the
dryer, having to take the front seat out to drive it (it's not made for 54
year old fat men -- but for 18 year old 105 pound Marine grunts). But
someone apparently saw it as a mobile monument to a fallen Marine friend or
family member. Somehow my TOY is changed, it's a little less "fun" and a
little more ---- something. I don't have the way with words that some of
our
fellow members have; but I don't think I'll be able to look at my TOYS again
in the same light as I have in the past.
God Bless all veterans, young and old, near and far, for what you did for
YOUR country, no matter which flag it flies. I especially thank the US
veterans for their sacrifices that allows me to have my TOYS. I still don't
quite know what to think about flowers in my jeep.
Tom Campbell - Birmingham, Alabama USA
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Dec 03 2000 - 20:29:51 PST