Historic vehicle convoy rolls through Fort Leonard Wood

By Mrs. Melissa Buckley (Leonard Wood)October 23, 2014

Historic vehicle convoy rolls through Fort Leonard Wood
William Hobbs, dressed as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, poses with Terry Johns in front of Johns' 1936 LaSalle staff car Oct. 14 in the John B. Mahaffey Museum parking lot. The duo were with a fleet of 12 historic military vehicles that made a stop on Fort... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

A fleet of 12 historic military vehicles made a stop on Fort Leonard Wood during the Military Vehicle Preservation Association's 2014 Show Me Missouri convoy Oct. 14.

The seven-day tour covered 572 miles from Oct. 11 to 17 with Fort Leonard Wood being one of several stops.

Terry Johns has been organizing the convoys for the past five years. He drove the oldest vehicle in the fleet -- a 1936 LaSalle staff car.

"It was used to drive the brigadier general around," said Johns, dressed as a World War II Canadian army brigadier general.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I have been fascinated by the vehicles in old war movies," Johns said.

When he was planning the Missouri convoy, he said he immediately thought of Fort Leonard Wood.

"I knew some of our veterans might enjoy the museum. My dad was a military policeman. He guarded German prisoners in World War II," Johns said.

William Hobbs, dressed as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, rode with Johns. Hobbs said he has been participating in these convoys for 11 years and enjoys portraying MacArthur.

"I think I look a little bit like him," Hobbs said. "I go on tours at least three to five times a year. They are fascinating to me."

He said he was glad he had the opportunity to visit Fort Leonard Wood.

"I was excited to visit here because this is a multi-service base for training. I was in the Air Force from 1953 to1980 as a public affairs officer," Hobbs said.

There were 24 people on the convoy from eight different states.

This particular tour had vehicles that were used in several wars from World War II to Vietnam.

The youngest vehicle on the convoy was a 1963 M37B1 cargo truck.

At 86-years-old, Ronald Burbridge was the oldest person on the tour. He drove his 1942 Ford Jeep from Kansas for the convoy.

"We used those little things for everything," Burbridge said of his Jeep.

Burbridge served in the Marine Corps from 1948 to 1953 as an infantryman. He is a Chosin Reservoir Campaign survivor.

In November of 1950, 8,000 fighters, most of them U.S Marines, struggled to survive the coldest winter in 100 years in North Korea.

"Gen. McArthur ordered the 1st Marine Division to the front of the fight. So, I went," Burbridge said. "When the Korean War broke loose, it took us quite some time to build our military numbers back up. You see, after World War II they had reduced the Marine Corps to a third of its size."

He said he was fond of the compact military vehicle from that era, because they were so versatile.

"One of my jobs in Korea was to operate a Jeep with a 30-caliber machine gun mounted in the back. I always wanted one after that," he said.

Another driver on the tour was Michael O'Sullivan, an Australian native, now living in Texas. He drove his 1944 Chevy Blitz 800 miles just to start the convoy.

"It's amazing that this machinery is still reliable today. It's just the machinery of that day was really quite advanced," O'Sullivan said.

He said his Chevy Blitz was made in Australia and was used in North Africa for aircraft spotting.

"It will go 55 miles per hour. I have driven it through the Middle East, Europe and Australia," O'Sullivan said.

He said he enjoyed his time on Fort Leonard Wood.

"This is such a big base. The museum is wonderful. There is so much World War II-era machinery to see here," he said.

Johns said his favorite thing about the convoy was the beautiful scenery.

"I like driving my vehicle around the countryside of Missouri. The fall weather is beautiful here," he said.

For more information about the Military Vehicle Preservation Association visit www.mvpa.org.

Related Links:

Fort Leonard Wood GUIDON Newspaper

Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood