FORT SILL, Okla. (June 22, 2017) -- Looking at the mostly restored World War II era jeep that Maj. Lucas Sparks drives one needs to understand that this rarely seen vehicle is a significant part of his life.
"Part" being the key word, because when he first saw it, the jeep was what he called, "a basket case."
"I bought it from a man in Warsaw, Texas, in 2007. It was completely disassembled and stored on shelves in the man's garage," said Sparks, the Field Artillery Proponent Office operations officer at Fort Sill.
This was just how the major wanted it as he began to restore it in 2009.
"I did not want a turn-key vehicle as, for me, most of the fun is in finding and rebuilding them," he said. "I have owned a number of projects over my life, and really wanted the challenge of a completely non-running vehicle."
But then for this major, turning a wrench is nothing new. Sparks said he gained his "do-it-yourself" skills early in life.
"I learned about working on cars from my father, who began teaching me when I was this high," said Sparks, holding his hand about 3 feet off the ground. "It was never work to me, in fact I wanted to go to school to learn to be a mechanic, but my parents wanted me to go to a regular college."
Acquiescing to his parents' preference, Sparks attended the University of Tennessee at Martin, a small town west of Nashville. He graduated from the school's ROTC program with a degree in business management and commissioned as an Army lieutenant.
Now in his 16th year of military service, he said the end will probably be at the 20-year point. At work, he's focused on the Army's needs for field artillery, but after duty hours he enjoys volunteering. His pro bono work at the Army Field Artillery Museum gives him a place to make use of his jeep restoration skills as he helps rebuild vehicles displayed in the museum's exhibits.
JEEP'S JOURNEY
"The vehicle rolled off the assembly line in Dallas on April 4, 1942," said Sparks. It was known as a scripted Ford for the name stamped into the left side of the vehicle's rear panel.
World War II holds a special place in the major's heart as his grandfather served in the Army Air Corps. He said restoring his jeep helped him connect with the Greatest Generation. Many people probably connect this moniker with those men and women who served in the military. But, another massive force punched in their timecards working long hours to build this GI jalopy, other vehicles, and various military gear that made up the United States' vast war machine.
"I was sandblasting a part once, and it would not come clean. I pulled it out of the cabinet and there was slag on the weld which wouldn't come off. It was a factory weld, likely done by hand, and the slag left behind was a mistake. It should not have passed quality control even during a war. I thought back, imagining some young woman who barely knew how to weld, making that part," said Sparks, who smiled at that reminder, photographed it, and left the imperfection in place.
He said working on the vehicle or driving it also reminds him of the men who relied on jeeps for training or to help complete their missions in perilous combat situations.
Over the years some parts of the vehicle have decayed requiring installing other out-of-date parts, or newer ones tooled to specifications one would find in the early 1940s. The major said the engine was replaced in 1989, but rather than "pickle" it to help preserve it, the engine just sat out in the garage exposed to the elements. Sparks took it apart to check for any dirt or debris before reassembling.
While much of the old Army workhorse remains the same as the day it rolled off the assembly-line, Sparks has the ingenuity to be creative when needed.
"I can fairly easily find something that would need to be changed, if only to make it 'my own,'" he said.
He likens his jeep to a motorcycle, especially in terms of the kind of weather he prefers to drive it in, and he said his children all enjoy it. His wife, Tori, owns a business that sells gourmet food items at a vintage market. Because the market reaches back to days of yore, she often visits estate sales to find items that reflect a particular era. Those items serve as props for her business and things customers may want to purchase. Having developed an eye for World War II artifacts, Sparks said she sends him photos and texts of items wanting to know if he wants them.
Having improved on the creature comforts of his retro ride, Sparks believes he may eventually entice his wife for a tour.
"Now that I got some seat cushions in it, I expect she will be willing to go for a ride," he said.
Sparks said he's especially thankful for the assistance of Zane Mohler of the Army FA Museum, and Dustin Roderigas and Jonathan Bernstein, who both work at the Air Defense Artillery Museum on post. Like Sparks, each of the men own a jeep of their own.
He said the group is always looking for vehicles and spare parts, and when found, they share them as a way of cutting the cost, while benefiting all.
"It means everything to have extra brain power, and sometimes it is simply motivation," said Sparks. "We are all in different phases of projects, so there is always someone going through a problem, or someone who has already experienced it."
The free flow of ideas and information helps the four men keep their treasured ties to the past roadworthy, sharing a vital "part" of American military history.
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