War surplus was godsend to folks at home. (original) (raw)

After my recent column about scrap-iron drives during World War II, I received many letters and e-mails on the subject.

Mario Coleman of Canyon recalled stories of the war surplus equipment appearing on the market after the war ended.

Everyone wanted a jeep. This heroic vehicle had appeared in every war movie, newsreel and photo sent home from the war.

It became a dream vehicle to the public, especially young boys who spent many hours driving an imaginary jeep around the farm in search of the wartime enemies.

The Jeep agency in Perryton had a stack of orders for civilian Jeeps at the end of the war. If I remember correctly, the Jeep was the first 4-wheel drive vehicle to be offered to the public. After years of mud tires and tire chains, we laughed at the black gumbo mud while driving our new Jeep up and down the once-dreaded muddy roads.

Several neighbors in our area bought Army surplus Dodge Power Wagons. It, too, was a 4-wheel-drive vehicle but was heavier and rode like a bronc horse out in the pastures.

A friend and I once chased a coyote in his dad's Power Wagon. It wouldn't go fast enough to catch the coyote and was so rough we couldn't aim our guns. We finally hit a gully, leaving us with bloody noses and skinned knees from the sudden stop. The coyote laughed himself out of sight.

No one knows how many Panhandle irrigation wells once were powered by surplus Cadillac Army tank engines. They were cheap, plentiful and provided plenty of power until something went wrong. Don't repair, just throw it into the scrap heap and install another in its place. They were a blessing when running and a curse when idle.

I learned to weld with a used Army surplus D.C. welder purchased by uncle C.B Trew of Perryton. That old rig served us well for many years, repairing breakdowns while harvesting wheat and plowing stubble after harvest.

I also learned that you better have the right hold on the crank when starting, or you would have a broken or very sore wrist if it kicked backward.

Wives and mothers cringed when husbands and sons went into their favorite Army surplus store. The choice of items was endless if you had the patience to search the storage bins.

I'll bet money that down through the years, I have bought a ton of surplus casters to use at home or at museums. The big problem was finding four casters of the same design and measurements.

The next time you watch a parade, notice the restored war-surplus vehicles purring along like they had just come off the assembly line.

One of the hottest vehicle organizations today is the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, which incidentally has a local Palo Duro Chapter.

These preservationists are constantly on the hunt for rusting hulks sitting in the farm and ranch junk piles of the Panhandle.

Any abandoned vehicle could contain some much-needed parts for restoration. Call Shawn Elliott at (806) 355-1579 if you know of such treasure.

� Delbert Trew