Jeeps and fellowship... is there a connection?

There is if you belong to His House Community Church in Fayetteville. Pastor the Rev. Knox Herndon and church member Bill Jones found they shared a history in the military, Herndon as a retired lieutenant colonel chaplain, and Jones as a retired sergeant major.

They also found a common interest — restoring World War ll Jeeps. As members of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, the two, joined by Bo Daniel of B & D Auto Repair and Restoration in Fayetteville, are restoring a 1943 Jeep used by Britain's Long Range Desert Group to fight the Germans in North Africa.

According to Herndon, this type of Jeep is quite rare. “I don't know of another in America,” he said. What makes this vehicle unique are the intact modifications made by the British on the American-made Jeep during the war, and the full-compliment of weapons it carries.

“This was shipped to Britain during Lend Lease; you can see where the speedometer has been changed from miles per hour to kilometers,” Herndon pointed out. “The British would put 10 or 15 of these Jeeps together and go out in the desert to find Nazi airstrips. A memo written by [German Gen. Edwin] Rommel stated that the SAS (Special Air Service) downed more aircraft on the ground than the RAF (Royal Air Force) downed from the air,” Herndon said.

The Jeep carried at least five gas cans and plenty of ammunition, with machine guns mounted high over the seats. Herndon hastened to add that all the weapons carried on his Jeep are inert and will not fire.

Authenticity is key to transforming an old relic into a beautifully restored piece of history. Herndon and his buddies, who both happen to be master mechanics, have toyed with the Jeep for about three years. And they are still a long way from having it in top notch 1943 condition. While its engine runs, and its body will receive a desert camouflage paint job for show purposes, Herndon said he intends to strip it down to the chassis and start all over again.

Details mean everything to hobbyists like Herndon, right down to the Jeep's original data plates and mounted gas cans. He went as far as asking an old Army pal in Kuwait to send him a couple of Arab head dresses to wear when driving the Jeep in parades. Herndon also has the British uniform to wear along with it. “The soldiers wanted to look like Arabs, but had to wear their uniforms as well, or they could be shot as spies,” Herndon explained.

This particular Jeep came from Richard Grace of Palmetto, whom Herndon and Jones refers to as the “Southeastern Jeep guru.” There are still plenty of WW ll Jeeps around. Herndon noted that veterans could buy them after the war for about $650 and used them to drive, plow fields or use them as “deer hunter specials.”

Under the hood, these vehicles sport four-cylinders, 153-cubic-inch engines with one-barrel carburetors. They have four-wheel drive and Herndon's desert special even has black out lights.

While these vehicles have an impressive history, to Herndon, they also represent one of the greatest periods in our country. “This is the time we saved the world for democracy... this is a return to some of that,” Herndon said. For information about the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, phone Herndon at 770-719-2365. 

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