I am the youngest of five children — four brothers and a sister. My sister, Celine, was my protector. My brothers? They were my heroes.

    Looking back, I can see the role of a big brother was to demonstrate their “coolness”, whether in actions or possessions. I was forever wanting to tag along where ever they went, or play with what they had.

    When I was four, nothing held my attention more than my oldest brother’s latest models — M13 and M3A1 half-tracks. Tom let me watch him assemble the pair of Monogram plastic kits. When I got bored watching him glue parts together (or maybe just a bit light-headed from the fumes), I stared at the box cover art imagining soldiers blazing though Nazi fortresses in these trucks with tracks.

    When Tom completed the model kits, he showed me how the rear door opened on the M3A1 and how the anti-aircraft gun spun around on the M13. What captivated me, though, was when he pushed them across the dining room table. Not only did the front wheels turn, but the tracks rolled as well! I was hooked. I experienced my first bona-fide half-track envy. It would not be the last time.

    As the weeks past, I pestered him relentlessly to show me the “tank-trucks” (I couldn’t pronounce “half-track”, so devised “tank-truck” as the label for the olive-brown plastic vehicles). Needless to say, most of my pleading ended in tears rather than 1/32nd scale battle scenes. To add insult to this injury, my big brother admonished me — no, we warned me — “never dare touch these models”.
    
    Oh for a Tank-Truck of my Own
    One early evening during that summer of 1966, my dad was upstairs (we lived in a big old Victorian house), shaving. An evening shave was unusual—it meant he and Mom were going somewhere.  My folks didn’t go out much, especially in the evening without the kids. In retrospect, I suspect it was their anniversary. But I was only four and I really didn’t care about the reason, I just knew they were going to leave me alone — at night — with my brothers!

    That didn’t bode well—who was going to take care of me? Good thing Celine —my protector — was there. She would keep the boys from teasing me too much. Still, I didn’t like the idea of Mom and Dad being gone after dark. I sat in the bathroom with Dad as he shaved. I told him I didn’t want him to go anywhere. “The boys are going to beat me up if you go!” I cried. “No, they won’t,” he assured me. “Celine will take care of you.” That wasn’t enough. I cried some more.

    Dad attempted to divert my attention, “I will bring you something. What do you want?” This was my big chance! Without flinching for a second, I announced, “I want a tank-truck!” simultaneously brushing the tears from my face and my memory. Dad knew that was a hard request to fulfill. “What else would you like if I can’t find that?” I wasn’t quite as prepared for a follow-up. A moment’s reflection produced the image of machine guns in the hands of the guards on “Hogan’s Heroes”, my favorite television program. Those Germans had a way of carrying their MP-40 submachine guns at the ready with the sling going under one arm and returning over the opposite shoulder. I announced, “I want a German machine gun”.

    Well-Armed, but not Mobilized
    My folks went on their “date”, my brothers teased me until I cried, and my sister put me to bed. But, when I woke up the following morning, I found a black plastic Broomhandle Mauser pistol in a cardboard display box next to my bed!

    To a little guy of four, that Broomhandle looked a whole lot like an MP-40 submachine gun. I raced downstairs into the kitchen and ripped it from the box. Digging into the bottom drawer next to the stove, I pulled out a green-handled pair of scissors and a ball of butcher’s cord. After cutting a length of cord, I tied it to the bottom of the pistol’s grip and around the barrel. I “slung” my pistol and went outside to find my brothers (whom I imagined as renegade American soldiers). After gunning them down, I showed them my reward for enduring their wrath!

    Despite being so well-armed for backyard battles against imaginary Allies, my heart yearned for a “tank-truck”. I am sure my “machine pistol” immobilized more than one fantasy tank-truck that morning.

    Mobilized Through ‘Lend-Lease’
    Time passed. The days of playing army were long gone (well, they were revived during my “reenacting period”, but that is another story!). About eight years ago, I interviewed with Krause Publications to become the editor of a new magazine they had purchased — Military Vehicles. I spoke with a number of people, but the real test of my abilities concluded with meeting the big cheese, Mr. Chet Krause, himself.

    Following a few minutes of small talk in which he judged my military know-how, he asked me if I owned a military vehicle. I told him that even though I raced cars and did a lot of wrenching, I didn’t own an “MV”. “However,” I explained, “I have always wanted a half-track (somewhere during the intervening 30-odd years, I had mastered that particular two-syllable word).”

    “Hell,” Chet replied, “I don’t pay enough for you to afford a half-track!” He went on, “I’ll tell you what ... You come work for us and you can drive my half-track any time you want.” He had me at “Half-track.”

    For the next few years, I lived in OD bliss. Chet had a huge collection of WWII vehicles, and he was very generous with letting me drive, study and photograph them. I spent my spare time washing and detailing the trucks, jeeps, high-speed tractors and even his M4 Sherman. Through his generosity, I was living out my childhood half-track dreams.

    Sometimes, an opportunity for revenge is best left unused
    Each year in Iola, the Car Show Office sponsors a Military Vehicle Show. Usually, about 150 vehicles are displayed and paraded for an audience that numbers about 10,000 over the two-day show.

    A couple of years ago, I invited my oldest brother Tom (the one who had the half-track models when we were kids) to come over for Show. He didn’t know it, but I had a surprise for him.

    Tom and his two boys came for the weekend. I had to work most of the show, but on Sunday, I was able to break free. At noon, all of the vehicle owners were gathering to parade their vehicles. Because Mr. Krause had about 40 vehicles on display, he needed drivers.

    I told my brother to walk with me. We crossed the parking lot to where Chet’s M16 anti-aircraft-gun-equipped half-track was idling. We stood by the driver’s door. Tom assumed I was going to climb into the driver’s seat. Over the sound of the idling engine I said to him, “Hey, remember your models of half-tracks when we were kids?”

   “Yeah,” he replied, “One was like this, wasn’t it?”

   It was, sort of, but this wasn’t the time to flex my military vehicle knowledge.

     “Yeah. It is.” I continued, “Remember how you wouldn’t let me play with them?” He just looked at me, not knowing if I was going to dredge up — yet another--painful childhood memory (I tend to be a bit dramatic at times). “Well, you can play with this one — hop in. You’re driving.”

    Still No Track, but the envy is gone
    A few years after that parade ride with my brother at the steering wheel, me next to him and my nephews in the back playing with the .50-caliber anti-aircraft mount, Chet sold his collection. Someone else is enjoying that fine restored track.

    Forty years have passed since I asked my Dad to bring me a “tank-truck”. I don’t harbor the desire to own a half-track anymore, though (Chet was right, I don’t get paid enough to take care of one!). Nevertheless, they will always mean more to me than just another fascinating piece of WWII history. To me, half-tracks are part of growing up and learning to appreciate the benefits of having a big brother.

    Keep em rolling,
    John Adams-Graf
    Editor, Military Vehicles and Military Trader

"We knew then that we would get into a battle and we made them mountains echo again and again as we marched towards the enemy. We had not gone far when we first saw them. They were marching towards us but they did not dismay us for each and everyone gave them a few yells as loud as we could call. Although they were nearly two miles off they heard us for they halted and commenced maneuvering."

-- William H. Daniel, 2nd Kentucky Infantry
writing about the afternoon of February 22, 1847, 6 miles south of Saltillo, Mexico, near the pass of La Angostura

Folks closest to me have had to endure my annual celebration of Buena Vista Days on February 22-23.  What are BV Days? Well, in my mind, they commemorate the overwhelmingly heroic stand of about 4,500 U.S. volunteers and regulars  against  18,000+ Mexican soldiers in 1847. Commanded by old Rough and Ready, General Zachary Taylor, the U.S. forces withstood wave after wave of attacks by Santa Anna's forces for two days.

On the night of the 23rd, the American's--badly bloodied but still protecting the pass of La Angostura and the plateau above extending back to Saltillo--prepared themselves for what they thought would be their final stand on the dawn of the 24th. Throughout the night, they could hear Mexican wagons and artillery, infantry commands, and bugle calls. The Americans were certain Santa Anna had brought up the last of his column from San Luis Potosi and was alligning his troops for a final, pre-dawn assault.

When the sun finally broke over the Sierra Madre's bordering the plateau, the Americans could not believe their eyes--Santa Anna had vamoosed! All that littered the plain in front of the exhausted Americans were the dead and wounded of the previous day's fighting. Cheers went up throughout the valley extending back to Saltillo where Taylor had evacuated his wounded and reinforded the square for a final stand.

Not too many share my enthusiasm for the Battle of Buena Vista. Nevertheless, each year on the 22nd and 23rd, I go out for Mexican food and hoist a toast to General Taylor and his little army of 4,500.

One past celebration found my (then four-year old) daughter sitting in Shiloh Cemetery in Lerna, Illinois, at the grave of an Indiana volunteer who fought at BV, patiently listening to her Daddy read Albert Pike's lenghty poem about the battle. On another occassion, I took tacos to all of my co-workers. One just never knows what I will dream up for BV Days.

Well, this year, my boss got tired of me talking about BV Days and the failure of others to acknowledge. He called my bluff. He said, "If you blog about it, you can offer the Military Vehicles DVD for $10 off to anyone who orders before the February 22."  Well, it isn't a declared holiday with paid vacation, but it does count as someone else sharing the Buena Vista Day cheer!

So, for anyone who has been thinking about ordering the Military Vehicles compilation CD, here is your chance to benefit from sacrifice of Taylor's Little Army. Just click here for the special offer.

Sure, some of you will want to thank the boss...but the real thanks goes to General Taylor and his band of 4,500 who held their ground on a couple of very cold days in February, thousands of miles from home, in the belief that they were defending the interests of the United States of America.

Happy Buena Vista Days,
John A-G

   A reader recently wrote me a lengthy letter that conclude with a request for my input on what he should do. You see, the reader’s dilemma stemmed from reading an auction report in Military Trader. He was absolutely livid that someone had paid $514 for a dagger described as a “WWII Italian Air Force 1930 Pattern Dagger.” His letter went on for paragraphs detailing how this dagger couldn’t be what it was purported to be. He was appalled that anyone would pay that kind of money without knowing the “facts.”

   His letter reminded me of a recent discussion on the U.S. Militaria Forum. Several participants had unleashed tirades on a group of bidders who had bought movie memorabilia used in the making of “Battlestar Galactica.” (Why was this on the U.S. Militaria Forum, you ask? Beats me.)

   The letter from the Military Trader reader and the discussion on the U.S. Militaria Forum stirred the memory of something my grandmother used to say, “How a fool spends his money is his own business.” In both examples, the people doing the complaining assumed they knew the motives of the buyers. The only people who can answer that are the ones who laid out the cash. And it is only the business of the buyer, whether they chose to spend their money on a fancy dagger or a wookie glove (okay, I am the first to admit — I don’t know a thing about Battlestar Galactica).

    I asked myself, “Why do people find the need to rehash other people’s purchases?” In the case of the forum discussion, the motives seemed a bit cloudy. What I took away from the discussion was this: Those who were tearing down the movie memorabilia buyers did so in order to justify the expenditures they make on their own military collecting hobby.

    On the other hand, the letter writer’s motive was much clearer. He assumed the buyer was buying the dagger as a historic artifact. The letter writer went on — at length — to demonstrate how the dagger was not what the auction company had described. In fact, the dagger probably didn’t even exist during WWII. His argument was good and his documentation sound. However, it had one fatal weakness — it was built on the assumption that he knew the buyer’s motive.

    Who is to say why someone buys a dagger or a piece of movie memorabilia? Maybe the dagger buyer simply likes fancy knives for letter openers or wants to make a grand entrance at the next family BBQ. Perhaps the movie memorabilia purchases stir a very good memory in the buyer’s mind of when he or she first experienced the movie. It doesn’t — and really shouldn’t — matter to anyone but the buyer. Judging it can be a dicey. You know the old adage, “One person’s junk is another’s treasure.”

ALL COLLECTORS LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES
    There is so much to be enjoyed in our military relic and vehicle hobbies without questioning someone else’s motives for buying something. My family laughs at my collection of “high-priced empty boxes”. They see empty boxes. I see a historic record of U.S. Army ration containers from WWI and WWII. It’s all in one’s perspective. If I want to spend money on empty boxes, that’s my business.

    So what’s the moral of this tale? Well, other than “Be careful what you write to JAG, he might use it as fodder for one of his rants”, I guess it might be something like, “Don’t assume you know someone else’s collecting motives.” Collecting is a quirky business fraught with deep psychological roots. It’s best not to judge other people’s motives. After all, you wouldn’t want the “insane price” you just paid on the “broken down jeep” or that “crazy old Nazi helmet” to appear as a topic on their own forums or in their magazines!

    Keep treating folks the way you would like to be treated,

 

    Those who have been in the militaria hobby for some time, know that “SOS” is the acronym for the Ohio Valley Military Society’s annual Show of Shows. Held each year in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, the SOS has emerged as the largest all militaria show in North America. With dealers and attendees from around the world, the SOS has become a veritable point of pilgrimage.

    This year, it is held a bit later than normal, on March 5-8, 2009 (normally it falls somewhere around my personal celebration of Battle of Buena Vista Days, February 22-23). If you need info on the show, check out pages 41 and 45 of the February 2009 issue of Military Trader, or log on to the OVMS’ web site at www.sosovms.com

    BTW, I called the Hilton Garden and as of February 6, they still had rooms left. Be sure to let them know you are going to the SOS for a special room rate --around $120 for a king. Their contact info:
 

Hilton Garden Inn Louisville Airport

2735 Crittenden Drive, Louisville, Kentucky, USA 40209
1-502-637-2424

    Naturally, I will be at the SOS as will Trader’s main ad guy, Tom Polzer. With any luck navigating my computer, I plan to post daily reports and pics to this blog from the SOS.  I suspect they won’t be all that exciting, but you might get a chance to read some of the gossip or see some of the cool things that are available. So, if you aren’t able to make it to Louisville, just bookmark the JAG File and come back to see what’s going on.

SUCCESS IS ALL IN HAVING PRIORITIES
    I have a few goals when I go to the SOS: First and foremost, I visit the grave of General Zachary Taylor, the Hero of the Battle of Buena Vista. He is buried in Louisville at the National Cemetery. Second, I eat LOTS of BBQ. I found a great little local place that serves BBQ the way I like it: heaped on a Styrofoam plate and with plenty of paper towels. And finally, the relics!  This year, I will be pounding the floor looking for quality AEF Tank Corps items and WWI real photo postcards. Of course, there tends to be other items that seem to grab my attention from the floor that I never dreamed I would find. That’s the beauty of the SOS.
  
     For example, last year, I came home with Belgian WWI Garde Civique Hat. I know, that doesn’t excite too many people, but the Garde Civique were the equivalent of militia units. They were some of the first military formations to stand in the path of the invading German soldiers in August 1914. I certainly hadn’t planned to buy something like that, but at the SOS, you have to be ready for anything.
   
    So there you have it: JAG’s SOS goals:  1.) AEF Tank Corps stuff, 2.) WWI real photo postcards, 3.) serious levels of BBQ ingestion and 4.) a visit with my personal hero, Old Rough & Ready.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR AT THE SOS THIS YEAR?
    Here’s your chance to do a little pre-SOS advertising...what are YOU going to be looking for at the SOS? Post your comments and maybe somebody will see your wants and bring that special item to the SOS especially for you---ya never know!

    Okay, back to making magazines...gotta pay for these expensive collecting and eating habits.

    Keep finding the good stuff,
    JAG
    Editor, Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine

Greetings,
    “What’s the next great collecting trend?” Not a week goes by that a dealer or collector doesn’t ask me this question. Folks have seen me preaching (usually after a lot of ribs and a few pitchers of Diet Coke), but honestly, I don’t have any better idea than any one else in the hobby.
    I have had the opportunity to realize I missed a few recent trends. For example, a couple of years ago, I needed an early 16” bayonet for a Springfield M1903A1 and a 10” bayonet for an M1 Garand to complete a couple of my 10th Mountain mannequins. Well, after a few bids on eBay, I had my long one for $160 and the short for $55. That was three years ago. Recently, I was doing some research on current pricings and realized that the 16” bayonets in scabbards have jumped to around $295 and the short, based on the maker and tip are pushing $195.
    Another trend I missed was for WWII parachutes. Reviewing prices for seat-pack chutes recently, I noticed that the demand has driven prices for complete rigs from around $600 to more than $1200 during the past four years. That was some serious  investment potential that went right over my head (I wonder how those pork bellies are doing that my 401K plan provider purchased on my behalf?)

Trends...Why I Missed Them, and How They Emerge
    Why did I miss these trends? Well, I probably was fixated on something else—you know how collectors can get! We can’t see the forest because we are too busy searching through the piles of leaves looking for that “special rare” leaf! 
    Why did these trends occur? Well, in both cases, research became available. Someone told collectors what to look for. It wasn’t until someone took the time to photograph and categorize the various makers, variations and combinations, that both the bayonets and parachutes took off in prices. Nothing initiates a trend like a good ol’ survey of the field. Collectors a curious breed...they like one of everything whether it is Garand bayonets or “wheat-back” pennies. We want to “fill the holes” and more often then not, we want some one to teach us what the holes are.

Based on the above pontificating, What are a couple of emerging trends?
    So, what are the next trends? I haven’t seen the prices rising significantly in last twenty years, but I suspect that Imperial German “Dunkelblau” (dark blue) uniforms are going to be the target of a lot of collectors. And why? Well, because of the published research on two fronts.
    First, Tony Schnurr has established and maintains an excellent web site called “The Kaiser’s Bunker” (Kaiser is the name of Tony’s might dachshund). Karl has systematically broken the code to understanding German uniforms from 1842 through 1918. Now, it is easy to figure out what regiment wore that old “blue and shiny parade tunic” that has been hanging in your closet. Tony’s site (and their are equally fine sections on Pickelhauben, Imperial headgear and Canadian Expeditionary Forces) is located at www.KaisersBunker.com.
    Coinciding with this outburst of information were Stefan Rest’s efforts to publish first-class books on the topic. Over the past few years, the Austrian publisher has dug deep into European museums and private collections to photograph and quantify Great War relics. Two of his books, The German Army in the First World War: Uniforms and Equipment: 1914 to 1918 by Jurgen Kraus and The German Cavalry: From 1871 to 1914: Excellent by Ulrich Herr and Jens Nguyen allow the collector to “see the holes” in their collection and provide a ready reference when new discoveries are made. The books are pricey (upwards of $140 a copy) but worth the price when you consider those old “parade tunics” have jumped in value from $35-$85 to several hundreds of dollars in just the past few years. You can visit Stefan’s site at www.militaria.at. I bought my copies in the United States from Bill Combs who is the North American distributor for Stefan. The books are available at his web site, www.agmohio.com
    But, just because the research is available, doesn’t mean that Dunkleblau tunics are the magic beans of investment. However, it sure does give them a good chance for growth!

    As you walk through the forest of collecting, look up from time to time. It will help you avoiding smacking into a tree.

John Adams-Graf
Editor, Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine

   

As The Clash once asked, “Should I stay or Should I go?”
  
Being a successful collector must be able to deal with two collecting issues: Most have mastered the first: the ability to make decisions. The second issue that a successful collector must face is the ability to deal with disappointment.
   
In regard to decisions, this isn’t a tough issue for collectors to master. Unless funds are unlimited, a collector faces choices everyday. They must consider whether an item is worth the price and is it appealing enough to sustain or increase in value over time. (The latter is not important to all collectors. Take, for example, the Beanie Baby collector (BBC). During the mania of about 10 years ago, the die-hard BBC bought every new release regardless of the sustaining value of the item. It didn’t slow most down. Finally, over supply by the manufacture killed the market.)
   
The second issue that a successful collector must face is the ability to deal with disappointment. Personally, this is a very hard one for me. If I have been bidding on a significant WWI photo or Tank Corps items and lose it, I am distraught. Sometimes, the sickness is so bad, I question if I should collect at all. Over the years, I have learned to deal with the disappointment knowing that, in time, the same item — or a similar one — will come up for sale again.
   
Shockingly, the collector scene does not revolve around me or any other individual. Yet, the hobby is very “me-ocentric”. When I collect, I am focused on satisfying my own needs. My concern for other collectors, I am embarrassed to say, doesn’t stretch that far. Apparently, I am not the only one afflicted with this reaction!

“If I go there will be trouble...”
    During the past few weeks, I have been inundated with calls, letters and emails from military vehicle collectors in Wisconsin and Minnesota who are distraught over a scheduling conflict between the Iola Military Vehicle Show and the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) International Convention in August 2009. The vehicle collectors are dismayed that such a conflict could exist and have reacted from threatening boycott to simply hanging up in disgust.

    (Just an aside before going on...Whereas I am flattered that folks think I have sway in the dealings of the Iola Old Car Show, Inc. (the owners of the Military Vehicle Show), the truth of the matter is I am located about 600 miles from their office and have precious little contact — let alone influence!)
   
The Iola Military Vehicle Show is my favorite MV show of the year. I am able to do a lot of my cover and calendar photography at the show, I know most of the vendors and reunite with many friends. However, the MVPA Convention is the top military vehicle event in North America.

    I haven’t been able to decide which show I will attend.

“This indecision's bugging me..”
    In my effort to decide my summer show schedule, I decided to ask some questions. I spoke with some MVPA directors and was reminded that in the larger collecting scheme, the conflict doesn’t impact a majority of the MVPA’s members. Folks in California, Alabama, Italy or Germany would not have been going to the Iola event no matter when it was scheduled, but they would go to the MVPA Convention whenever and where ever it was held. I can appreciate that. Whereas it smacks of “big business”, it does make good fiscal sense that the national convention take precedence.

    Next, I contacted the Iola Old Car Show office. Below is an excerpt from the very friendly reply I received from Mary Schwartz, the event coordinator:

    “I have had conversations with past participants, vendors on concerns about the show and conflicting dates with MVPA. Regrettably our 2009 Iola Vintage Military Show does fall on the same date as the National MVPA this year.  When MVPA Convention was held in Minnesota, we changed our date. Now it happened again. The convention is on our event show date.”

    We do have a problem with moving the date because of advance advertising that has been done and we also have signs as you enter Iola that informs the public of the event being  held annually “2nd weekend of August”.  Another dilemma for us is there are events going on in our area the two weekends before and two weekends after which then will give us problems with motel accommodations, spectators and volunteers.

    We do know that this year might not be attended by many MVPA folks but we have to carry on and stay with what is scheduled and make the best of it. Sorry, it isn’t what you’re going to like to hear but we have appreciated your concern and support in the past and for the future.”

    Mary’s comments helped me gain some perspective. Of course, I am not —nor is any other collector — going to change the schedule of a regional or national show. Especially this late in the game. Those kind of scheduling changes are made years before the event.

    What is left to a guy like me are those two fundamentals: Making a decision and dealing with disappointment. The Clash probably said it better, “Should I cool it or should I blow?”

Greetings,
    “Jeep in the crate.” In our hobby, that one phrase causes more eyes to roll than Kelly’s Heroes’ Oddball declaring, “Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves.” Not being one to stir the negative waves, let me simply state, if WWII jeeps are still in the crate, they are sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic or Pacific.
    Okay, okay, so the “jeep in a crate” is a bit of an urban legend. Yes, jeeps were shipped in crates. Yes, those crates were warehoused. And yes, even some of them may have been sold after the end of WWII. But mention that you heard about a secret warehouse stacked with endless rows of Willys MBs or Ford GPWs and you won’t get a diehard MV guy or a militaria collector to put down his McMuffin and look you in the eye. Most folks in the hobby recognize that the “jeep in a crate” is more myth than fact.
    However, the 21st Century does offer a new version of this story—and this one is more reality than urban legend. For years, the U.S. military has been selling big trucks—2½-ton “deuces” and 5-ton cargo trucks—for a fraction of what the trucks originally cost. Today, someone wanting an “army truck” can search the government auctions and, for a couple of grand, come away with a heck of a deal.
    For example, at a recent Government Liquidation auction, drivable 2½ ton M35 6x6 trucks sold for as little as $4,500. The U.S. government paid around $40,000 for each of these! Maybe a deuce is a bit bigger than a jeep, but that is a lot of truck for $4.5K.
    All that said, don’t let me deter anyone from looking through those warehouses for crates of military surplus. It’s still out there. Jeff Shrader of Advance Guard Militaria just located a few crates of or WWI and WWII T-Handle shovels. Okay, maybe that isn’t the coolest thing, but man, just to find and open a box of material originally destined for Pershing’s doughboys had to be pretty darn exciting! Click over to Jeff’s site at www.advanceguardmilitaria.com and check them out in the “U.S. Militaria Early Through WWI” and "WWII" categories.
    Keep opening those crates...if you find some goodies that have been forgotten to history, drop me an email. We all love those “jeep (or any other militaria) in a crate” stories!

    We military collectors are a funny breed. We love the uniformity of columns of troops, the fielding of battalions of identical trucks and the mass production of equipment capable to defeat an adversary. And yet, what we all strive for in our collecting efforts is to find that one “unique” item—an M1 helmet just a little different from all the others, the 6x6 truck that is unlike any other 6x6 or the Iron Cross made with a variation different from the other million or so Iron Crosses.
    I recently had a note from someone wondering if I could determine if their WWII jeep was one of the 200 or so “Holden” ambulance jeeps that were re-bodied in Melbourne, Australia during WWII. His reason for asking was because all of the items that would readily identify a jeep as one of these rarities were not on his jeep!  
    I was dumbstruck...how could anyone prove that a jeep was something it did not appear to be by not having the features that would make it such? What motivates a collector to discount the fact that he may simply have one of 640,000 some odd Jeeps built during WWII and try to make it into something “grander?”
    Therein, lies the answer. Collectors (and I am one!) are a special breed. Sure, the history behind the object is the prime motivator, but so is the “hunt” and the “kill.” It’s no fun to have something that everyone has. So, in my collection I have an Iron Cross on which the recipient’s engraved his name and unit. My US WWII mountain jacket came with a stack of photos and documents from the trooper who wore it. And my WWII khaki ammo bandolier has a period note in one pocket that says, “I wore this when I went ashore at Normandy.” Even though an Iron Cross, mountain jacket and an M1 bandoleer are all relatively common items, they are special to me because they have a “little bit more” than the next guy’s example of the same. They have stories.
    It is the “hunt”—be it looking for clues on a jeep body or digging deep in the pockets of a WWI tunic that discovers and preserves the stories unique to the soldiers who used the equipment we collect. The stories are what we can pass on to the next generation of collectors.
    And what about the “Holden hopeful?” Well, it was back to the jeep and look for more evidence...evidence that could be seen: weld marks, modifications or anything else that would help put the story back with the artifact. I hope he finds it! But no matter, he will discover the stories that his WWII jeep has to tell.

    Keep em rolling and finding the good stuff,

    John Adams-Graf
    Editor, Military Vehicles Magazine and Military Trader