I am not defending this line of thinking, just reporting what I've read.
If there is/was no merit to this theory, does anyone out there have any
ideas
how it was started?
Yes! Read on! You find that person who had brand new $44 jeeps in the
crate and I'm sure he'll be glad to tell you all about pilferage and 24 volt
systems! Pilferage will always be a problem in the Gov't whether it be
Humvees, watches and others nice things with a crossover in civilian life.
If you notice, the Gov't is now buying off the shelf stock items without
making a mil-spec out of it for cost saving reasons. Cars, P/U trucks,
desks, hammers etc. That pilferage theory would be more true today than
would it be for 50 years ago when morals were a much higher standard at that
time. Besides, when we left the European Theatre after WW2, how many
jeeps, aircraft and other stuff did we dump overboard just to get rid of it.
My father used to tell me of 100 pound cheese blocks that would get dumped
overboard because nobody would eat it. Viet Nam too, we dumped Huey
choppers (and other stuff) off the side of ships just to get rid of them on
our way home. NOBODY wanted them back then and it wasn't the 24 Volt theory
that did it either. Like the $44 jeeps, civilians always have rumors of
these theories. I like the one I heard 30 years ago where the man's son was
killed in Viet Nam and wanted to dispose of the Corvette in his garage who
knew nothing about it other than it was an "old 1961 Chevrolet". "FOR
SALE-1961 CHEVROLET-$300.00" After hearing it many times over the years
with the details changed for that model year, guess what?! I heard it again
6 months ago, only he was killed in Desert Storm and it was a 1986 Chevrolet
for $600.00! This man actually and really believed it but said he "just
missed it". I asked him if he actually saw the car and of course, NO. And
of course, the one of the wife selling her ex-husband's new BMW, Cadillac,
Mercedes, and ____________ (you fill in the blank) for $50 after he ran off
with his secretary and told her to sell it for him and send him the money
while he was in Hawaii, California, Bahamas, and ______________. (you fill
in the blank!) This one is also over 40 years old like the earlier. I
myself have always been a curious person who likes to look in factories,
engineering pools and ask LOTS of questions regarding their manufacturing
process. If you "fit in" or they like you, you can find out a LOT! Just
think, every componet part of a vehicle (or anything else) has a story to
tell, and before I pass on, I WANT TO HEAR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM! If
you ask ten men about where it came from or how it came to be, you may/will
get ten differing stories! So, which one is true? Like the National
Enquirer says, "I WANT TO KNOW!" I have obsessed myself with finding out
and spending much money in long distance calls, and if they have time to
talk, they will tell you. Like my postings of M151A2 jeeps, I have talked
to the people who were there at the factory. I am still working on the
drain hole manufacturing step used on the M151A2. Sincerely yours, Julian
Burke
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