U.S. Military Jeep Turns 75 Years Old

In the summer of 1940, the U.S. Department of the Army contacted l35 manufacturers about building prototypes of a small, four-wheel-drive vehicle that soldiers could use in field and battle situations. Army officials saw the need for a small, reconnaissance vehicle more than a year before the Japanese attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, that pushed the country into World War II.

This early, almost desperate request from the U.S. Army indicated the feelings among military leaders that America was destined to join the war being waged in Europe by Japan and Germany. The rugged, multipurpose Jeep started its production run eight months before the United States was attacked on December 7, 1941. This gave America a leg up on one critical piece of war machinery.

Only three vehicle manufacturers responded to the Army’s 1940 request for prototypes of what became the Jeep. The Army set an unrealistic deadline of 49 days for a working model that could be tested. The American Bantam Car Co. met the deadline and provided the first model the Army accepted. Willys Overland and Ford Motor Company won the other two contracts the government provided. The manufacturing began in August,1941.  Bantam pulled out early after producing 2,700 vehicles. Financial problems caused American Bantam to switch to manufacturing military trailers.

Working together, Willys provided Ford with the engine the Army insisted had to propel the vehicle at least 70 miles per hour. The Army’s short deadline included an impossible requirement for a weight limitation of no more than 1,300 pounds. Willys’ prototype weighed about 2,000 pounds because of the large engine needed to meet the speed requirements. The Army relented and accepted the heavier vehicle.

The versatile vehicle was used by all branches of American military as well as the country’s allies during WWII. After the war, civilian models have been sold since 1945. Jeeps had many updates and improvements that kept them in use well into the time of the Viet Nam war. Bigger, more sophisticated vehicles are part of the military inventory today.

The name Jeep became the unofficial designation long before the Willys Quad and the Ford Pygmy started production in August, 1941. Origins of the word jeep (with a small j) appear in military materials as early as the 1920’s. Jeep is a generic term for any unproven or experimental piece of military equipment.

Looking in a military material catalog, one would see the official description of the Jeep as a one-quarter ton, 4x4 Army truck. One explanation of the name Jeep is that it is the slurring of the descriptions government purpose or general purpose.

Another more colorful explanation comes from a character in the Popeye the Sailor cartoons and comic strip series. The Jeep was a magical, lovable character who could make himself invisible. The only word he spoke was “jeep.” His dependable and helpful personality made military people compare him to their favorite Jeep vehicle.

The civilian Jeep has had several owners. Today it’s a wholly owned subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Jeep remains headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, where it started as a civilian company.  

Thank you for reading this blog. Visit my website at www.joevlatino.com for information about by book of short stories.

National Park Service Turns 100 This Month

America’s National Park Service (NPS) is a federal agency that manages all the parks, monuments and many historical properties that belong to the United States. The NPS turns 100 this month.

Yellowstone National Park is the world’s first national park. The U.S. Congress passed a law that President Ulysses S. Grant signed on March 1, 1872, protecting the 3,268.4 square miles that make up Yellowstone--the country’s largest park.

Existing primarily in Wyoming and extending into smaller parts of Montana and Idaho, Yellowstone was described in the law as “a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”

The public’s demand for more national parks resulted in the number growing to 35 by the beginning of the twentieth century. Several local and federal agencies claimed authority over the same parks, causing conflicts in financing and managerial responsibilities.

President Woodrow Wilson centralized the responsibilities and management of the national parks. The U.S. Congress approved the president’s National Park Service Act on the 25^th of August one hundred years ago.  The law made the NPS an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. President Wilson wrote that he wanted the NPS “to conserve the scenery and the national and historical objects and wildlife therein.”

The NPS currently oversees 59 national parks and more than 350 monuments and historic properties. It takes 21,635 employees to care for America’s national parks that welcomed more than 307 million visitors last year. The federal budget to run the NPS in 2016 is at an all-time high of $3 billion. If you want to visit one of the parks or properties in the NPS, you can find the location nearest you by using the NPS website.

Thanks for visiting this blog. Please see my website at www.joevlatino.com.

Olympic Rings Symbolize All Countries and Nations

August 5, 2016, marks the opening ceremonies of the 31^st Modern Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Flags and banners showing five different colored rings on a white background line major roads throughout the city in Brazil.  Blue, yellow, black, green and red rings interlock against the white background, representing the colors of all of the competing countries.

The Olympic Flag is an iconic symbol owned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that uses it to promote the summer and winter games. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, the IOC aggressively protects the copyright of the flag. It’s the exclusive property of the IOC, and it can’t be used without written consent from the international organization.  

A common myth that the symbol of the interlocking rings was used during the first Olympic Games from 776 BC until 338 AD isn’t true.  Baron Pierre de Coubertin, cofounder of the modern Olympic Games in the late 1800’s, designed the Olympic Flag in 1912. He promoted the use of the flag to represent the international spirit of the world-wide competition.

For 16 days the games will match competitors from more than 200 countries. Athletes from throughout the world will try to get hold of gold, silver and bronze metals. For Brazil the real reward will come from millions of dollars tourists bring to the events promoted by the IOC.

Enjoy the games of the XXXI Olympiad!

Thanks for reading this blog.  See my website at www.joevlatino.com.