Theodore's World

Thank you Chrissie, you are too kind.
It was such an honor, I knew none of these folks yet it was like being amongst family. I learned of the event through a lady who works as an EMT part time at the fire station. She told me that the owners of the Deuces wanted veterans to ride in the parade, I couldn't contact anyone here in smallsville who knew what, when or where. I just showed up at the fire station where all the activity was. I'm pretty reclusive and it shocked some of the neighbors that I showed up in a cammo shirt with my Vietnam veteran hat. I met both drivers for the first time that morning and we all pitched in to prep for the run. The truck on the left is a '72 model the other one is a bit older '70-'71 with drop side racks, both are in excellent condition~ Sweet!!! It was the wife's first ride in any military vehicle, she ate it up!!!
As a side, I have decided to join the local veterans institute, they have nothing to do with the trucks but provide support at memorials, the VA hospital and other events, including the local color guard. In fact I spent yesterday amongst a few of them at a different local event. Proving I'm getting old, tired and forgetful:)
I sent some pic's by E-mail of the latest adventure, I thought I'd left the camera at home and found we had it with us in the rig, I was completely tired before days end and missed one of the final events by leaving early, it was a logging event and they had set 17 trees up for climbing and topping by loggers in one hell of a lot better shape than me, I ached from the bottom of my feet to the ends of my hair:)

Golly, how many times I have crawled into or leapt out of a deuce and a half. Or a three quarter ton. Seemed like those trucks were indestructable. Now even the National Guard has updated to newer models. I guess most old trucks become targets on firing ranges.

Bet you enjoyed them Jack.

Tom, thank you, it was a joy. M35's are wonderful trucks, I've done things with them that you can't do with any other light truck and you can put your life on the line in them and I have, they are dependable. As a 63C30 duty MOS, I had 5 - M151A1 jeeps 4 on the books, 1 was borrowed, 4 M35A1 deuce and a half's with another one borrowed(5), 1 - 3/4 ton (Dodge) and 63- 5 ton tractors, their respective trailers and one 6 ton wrecker to care for in Vietnam, my job was senior wheeled vehicle mechanic, a working SGT in a company at 2/3 strength at best, that meant being at base, on the road and even being pirated out by helo to fix some APC in the bush (Ashau). One job I truly enjoyed was 11E20 but I was too old to formally retread at Ft. Knox even though I volunteered to go. My two ambitions are 1. Point an A-4 Skyhawk at the sun and go for broke. 2. Rip up some terrain and blow things up with an Abrahms. I trained as a 62B20 in the Engineers and was later remanded to transportation when that engineer battalion was eliminated by DOD.
I worked two years in a John Deere agricultural and industrial equipment shop doing major overhauls before being deployed and was fairly accomplished at all phases of repair, everything but rebuilding the fuel injection pumps, 4th echelon shops were there for my parts:)
It was a great experience Saturday and I found that one of the M35 owners had spent his tour in a maintenance battalion around Saigon in the Delta, he retired as a Msgt. I don't know anything about the other fellow, John, likely an infantryman from his demeanor, he sure as hell wasn't an officer:) I just found out John's last name yesterday. Those old trucks that don't get shipped to 3rd world countries for use against us are scrapped, it's a shame, some are like the B52, timeless workhorses. That M35 gets 8 miles to the gallon, about what my Ford F250 gets under load.

Deuce and a half truck ? Is that what they look like. We had heard about those new fangled vehicles but never got to ride in any of them cuz both of ours were broke.

And who's the old guys on the trucks. Oops, sorry I forgot its been 42 years hasn't it. Wow.
Thanks for the memories Jack.