On Memorial Day this year, Jeep recognized our nation’s veterans by unveiling a new memorial at their Toledo Assembly Complex. Dedicated by the plant manager and local UAW chairman, along with employees, veterans, and Chrysler Group’s VP of Assembly Operations, this memorial features silhouettes of soldiers standing with a fully-restored 1942 Willys Military Jeep.
The memorial is intended to recognize not only the service of veterans past and present, but also the plant’s 75-year connection with the armed forces – it started with the first military Jeeps, and even now roughly 10% of the plant’s workforce has military experience. It’s also intended to remind the new generation of Jeep employees that the brand might not even exist without WWII veterans. Willys Jeeps were used in WWII as troop and supply transports, reconnaissance vehicles, and ambulances. After the war, Willys-Overland released a refined model of the military Jeep named the CJ. If veterans returning home from the war had not embraced the CJ and become the first Jeep enthusiasts, the brand might not exist today.
It isn’t known what Jeep plans to do this Fourth of July weekend, but we are certain that the great American automaker will likely do something great not just for the military, but for the nation in general. Hopefully something that many Jeep enthusiasts and American consumers will appreciate the brand even more for.
Source: Kernersville Dodge Chrysler Jeep