yellow ribbons all the way.” ….
yellow ribbons all the way.”
Before arriving in Abbotsford on Saturday, Varner said the group was treated to a lunch at the veterans memorial park in Stanley, which drew about 5,000 people, he said.
“We’re being treated very well, and we’re making a lot of people very happy,” Varner said.
The convoy, which travels at 35 miles per hour, managed to dodge several downpours across Central Wisconsin on Saturday, although they did experience some rainfall once they stopped in Abby.
“It was 100 degrees with high humidity for three days in South Dakota,” Varner said. “I would have done anything to get a little rain.”
Varner said the worst weather they encountered was in Minnesota, where smoke from wildfires in British Columbia, Canada, created dense haze and poor air quality.
“It was bad. There was a red sky in the morning, all day and at night,” he said. “I guess they said it was the worst air quality Minnesota has ever had.”
Varner, who spent four years in the Army, owns and drives a 1953 Dodge M-43 ambulance, which he bought in 2016. The back has been converted into a camper so he and his wife have a place to sleep during their trips. He said he was impressed, but not totally surprised, by the level of hospitality they were getting in the Upper Midwest.
“So far, if you look at how we were treated in Minnesota and South Dakota, this has probably been one of the best (trips),” he said. “I kept telling them ‘Let’s go through the Heartland.’” Local residents, including many veterans, took advantage of a meet-and-greet held Saturday at the mall parking lot.
Ed Augustine of Abbotsford recognized one of the Jeeps as the first military vehicle he qualified for in 1985. He pointed out the vehicle’s “blackout lights,” which were dim enough not to attract the enemy’s attention but just bright enough so they could see where they were going at night. He said the Jeeps could go over just about any type of terrain, but the ride wasn’t exactly smooth.
“They weren’t made for comfort,” he said, laughing.
After serving in Korea, he was stationed in Germany for over 20 years and drove Humvees.
“We used to drive Humvees on the Autobahn, from one training area to the next,” he said. “If you could get them to 50 or 60 miles per hour, they’re humming. They’re not built for speed.”
Mike Kuyoth, who served in the U.S. Army for 38 years, said he thought the event was “fantastic,” both for veterans like himself and the general public.
“It’s great for people to see what the military has,” he said.
Kuyoth, who lives Edgar, said he was impressed with the “pride and joy” and hard work that went into restoring and preserving old military vehicles that have been out of service for decades. Many of the vehicles on display were just like the ones he rode in countries as far away as Iraq and Panama, he said.
Kuyoth also remembers the convoy experience itself, when they would sleep in tiny tents called “GP Smalls,” which were just big enough to fit two soldiers.
“Whenever we went on a convoy — we’d go down to Fort Leavenworth from Wausau — we would stop at a National Guard place because they’d let use the facilities,” he said. Rae Kohn, a Korean War veteran from Medford, stopped by with his daughter, Lori, who said they happened to be driving on STH 29 when they got behind the convoy just as it was about to enter Abbotsford. They followed the vehicles to the parking lot, where Rae recognized a 1951 REO M-35 from his days in Korea.
“I don’t mind coming back and seeing what stuff looks like,” he said.
Each vehicle owner had a story behind the vehicle they brought along.
Wendy Rowsam, who lives with her husband near Green Bay, said they were motivated to buy and restore their 1965 Ford F-100 after finding an old photo of her father-in-law driving a similar truck at Fort Knox in 1968.
“We thought it would be neat to have a truck like he drove, so we found one in California and brought it back to Wisconsin,” she said.
Rowsam said they bought the truck in 2018, finished the restoration in 2019 and went on the first MPVA’s first convoy, which followed along the classic Route 66.
“It was great. Everybody wants to travel Route 66 in a historic vehicle, so it was a lot of fun,” she said. “We had a nice group of people, similar to this. A lot of these people were on that trip.”
Lamar Rowland of Samson, Ala., came in a five-ton M923-A2, a camouflaged 6x6 cargo truck made by Bowen-McLaughlin- York. On one of the side panels is a sign featuring photos of him and his five brothers, all of whom served in either the Army or Navy.
Rowland, who served in Georgia’s Army National Guard from 1957 through 1965, said he and his brothers were spread apart in ages, and they each had their own reason for serving.
“I was still in high school when I joined, and I joined for the money,” he said, laughing.
Rowland said he’s been on six previous convoys, and he doesn’t seem to be losing his enthusiasm.
“It’s just a great adventure,” he said. “I’m 82 years old, and this is the neatest thing I’ve ever done, traveling through America on these convoys and experiencing all these little towns. America is a alive and well, I’ll tell you that.”
