June 6, was the day I was working for so hard to get my Jeep to the National D-Day Memorial for the veterans that served. The closer I got to the memorial the better the Jeep was received with me in my 101st WWII Uniform. That is when the emotions of what this event is in history hit me and I nearly had to pull over. The sacrifice of so many young people was so enormous. Tears welled up behind my sunglasses. As I pulled into the Memorial the reception of what the jeep represents in our quest to help free the world in such desperate times is still so evident in our younger generation. While I worked so hard many nights and left things undone at home to get this Jeep ready for this event, I saw in this moment that this event was bigger than me or my Jeep. These veterans, men and women who were at the D-Day Memorial were there to remember all their fallen brethren. Their memories to day were as like yesterday for them. I wore my WWII uniform out of respect for these men and women. I and my fellow 101st Chapter member, Kevin Frank were stopped several times and thanked for saving them from desperate battles where less than one third of their unit survived. The 101st patch carries more meaning than I even could imagine. I spent so much time with these veterans and did not get to meet nearly as many as I wished. They were so humble but in all of us as we get older we just want to be remembered and know that we left an impact for something good and important here on earth. All branches of the service were there and all had a huge part. Few came home. I did not get to give rides to some vets as I had wished. The event was not set up that way. Instead I got to be a part of their lives for a brief moment. I am thankful for that. God bless these brave men and women. The Jeep had it moments in the spotlight. It was instrumental in helping to win the war. Many people took pics of it but I spent my time with the true vets who one the war. I will post some up tomorrow. But it is hard to take pictures with no one to take them for you. For the few I have I must thank Kevin Franks son.
What I started with on Thursday the 5th in the morning is what you see with the scabbard. No seats, no tank, no wiring, no headlights, no taillights. Still the 7.00 x 16 NDCCs on the back. I worked till 11pm and put 6 miles on it and had to get up a 6am and leave by 6:30 to get there. About 100 miles.
Done as best I could for the Memorial. Still so much more to add.
