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This Jeep was bought by a veteran from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. in 1945.
It was used at a fishing camp in the Ozarks to haul john boats into the lake
for a while till the rear end broke. Sat for 15 years in a shed
till Willis Huffman of Fulton, MO. bought it to run around on his farm.
As he was loading it on his trailer he asked the original owner if he
had any of the original parts. "Well sure! Got a hole box of them if
you want them!" So I believe all the small parts like B/O lights and
brackets are original to this Jeep. This was about 1975. Willis started
looking for parts and realised there was collector intrest in Jeeps in
original condition. He reassembled it and painted it green again as it
was once red I think. I saw an add in the Supply Line. It was about
Christmas 1997 I think. I got directions and headed to Fulton about
120 miles away. It had snowed and I got lost on the farm roads. Then
I saw those distinctive Jeep tracks in the snow as Willis had drove it
to get his mail. I followed the tracks to his house and bought the Jeep!
This is my first Jeep and I knew little about military vehicles then except that
I wanted to WWII reenact and like original things. The more original the
better. When I got home I noticed there were all the original manuals in the
glove box. I have never been dissapointed in my purchase and have turned down
many offers to sell it. While it has had a coat of paint put on it it has
never been restored. It has no extra holes drilled in it or the usual deer
hunter modifications. Someday it will belong to my sons. I am sad to say the
original engine has developed cracks and will be replaced till I can get the
cracks repaired.
In 2006 I was able to take my Jeep to Normandy as part of the 2nd Armored Back to the Bocage tour. We drove it 500 miles without a problem.
Perry Locke
