My name is Josh Cornic and I turned 16 this past November. I bought my 1953 Jeep Willys when I was 14 years of age. Always being fascinated with history and the facts, study history and you will be prepared for the present and future events. Reason being, history often repeats itself. My dad and mom have helped with the restoration. As I continue with the restoration projects, I have such a sense of accomplishment, especially since I, myself have provided the necessary funds for its purchase and restoration. The 1964 Cessna 150, in the background, is actually mine. I was informed, since my parents bought the plane for me, I am responsible for the maintence, fuel, and flight lessons. This led me to thinking, how will I accomplish this enormous task? Well, one day, while working on the Willys Jeep, The Lord gave me a great idea. I would use the Jeep and start an amusement rental company. It all started with the Jeep and one bouncer. It has grown to what is now, many inflatable slides, bouncers, and laser tag. The company’s name is Operation Moon Bounce. My clients think it is very cool to have laser tag and arena delivered with the Army Jeep. I appreciate the efficiency of Kaiser Willys! They have made this, what would have been impossible endeavor a very attainable goal!
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Well, thank you Scott! Your follow up post actually does more to bolster my position than the first! Nicely put! Ha!
I am grateful, however, for your’ s and your family’s service to our country.
God Bless and Cheers!
Rock
Thank you “Rock”. You’ve made me see the error of my ways. I admit, sometimes I am way too “uppity” (now there’s a term most people would be uncomfortable using seeing as how Generals Lee and Grant convened at the old courthouse there in Appomattox and had a little chat. Whereas you my friend, have thrown caution to the wind, boldly speaking out in defense of an unjustly maligned youth. Bravo sir! (Just one small critique though. In this case perhaps “You oughta know your place boy” may have been more in harmony with the overall feeling conveyed in the message) and “snobby” for my own good. I breathed a sigh of relief you didn’t include “high falutin'” as well or I’d have really been in a pickle.
Your miscomprehension of what I was trying to say is so vast I feel any attempt to clarify it would be an exercise in futility. I can only feel disheartened that if most are of your viewpoint, i.e. that accuracy of detail and authenticity of form is of minor importance and the ‘tiny handful’ of us that do keeping in mind some sense of obligation to the past or taking pride in the final outcome are peevish, uppity snobs “butting in” with impractical, academic and useless advice. And not just with jeeps but with any of the iconic items from U.S. history, so completely unique in design, manufacture, appearance and purpose, If you (or someone else actually) is ever lucky enough to discover one hiding in a barn, attics, cellar, old garage, warehouse or packed away in long forgotten trunks, you’d understand the feeling and why there is a infinitesimal gap between real and fake. Tell you what; I’ll buy a baseball at Chinamart, write “To Rock, A true American! Your Pal, Babe Ruth”. I’ll then mail it to you. Then donate it to your local museum to put on display for people to stare in awe at. Better yet bring it to the next sports memorabilia auction or collector’s convention and sell it for a million dollars. It’s YOUR baseball after all and you are entitled to write whatever you want on it. Uh huh. Say it ain’t so Joe…I mean “Rock”.
Steve
As an aside, and only because in your reply you made some reference in regard to this:
My father was an Army Air Corps Pilot assigned to 10th AF, awarded the DFC and Air Medal flying missions supporting American and British guerilla forces engaged in raider attacks against the Japanese Army during the ChinaBurmaIndia Campaign.
His brother and my Uncle was a Scout Sniper, 2ndmardiv, 6th Marines, H&S awarded the Silver Star for action on Guadalcanal, A Citation for Gallantry on Tarawa Atoll, 2 Purple Hearts, one for being shot through the chest on the Canal and the second after being KIA by Japanese machine gun fire during the invasion of Saipan.
My MB jeep’s paint & markings are specific to his unit as a small way of reminding people that he and all of the men killed in the Allied forces during WW2, gave their lives to prevent those intent on a complete restructuring of the world based on a fanatical belief in the racial superiority of their people, be it Aryan or Japanese. Then undertaking a campaign of global aggression intent on complete elimination of entire races and the subjugation and enslavement of millions more. Period. That’s the reality of WW2. Nothing else. And those men knew it.
Their brother and another of my Uncles was a Paratrooper during the invasion of Okinawa after which he transferred into the 720th MP Battalion following the Atomic bomb and surrender of Japan. Assigned to Tokyo to maintain security during the post war American occupation.
My brother was a USN Helo S&R Pilot
My Niece is a USN P3 Pilot
My Nephew is a US Army AB Paratrooper
My other Nephew is a MD National Guardsman
And I myself was a USN Seabee.
None of us, your relatives included I’d wager, would feel the experience could be accurately and truthfully portrayed by a movie, the exception being maybe a documentary or raw footage shot on site.
Josh, great story! You are an inspiration! It’s always fun seeing your Jeep coming down the street and you grinning from ear to ear! Your testimony for the Lord is refreshing to see, as well, especially coming from a sixteen year old. God bless you and keep on keeping on!
Josh-
Nice job on the work! It looks fantastic! You should be very proud of your work! I have a CJ that I restored to look like an authentic war era jeep. My reasoning was to build a jeep as a memorial to my great-grandfather who was a Marine in WWI, 2nd/5th, “Retreat Hell”, and my grandfather who was in the Navy in WWII, spending time in Guadalcanal during its “busy” time during the war….(see the movie Pacific). True war era jeeps have gotten ridiculous in price, so it’s an attractive option to take a CJ and make it look military. Absolutely no harm in that at all!
Unlike some Jeep purist who get pretty snobby when it comes to the restoration of these old jeeps, you will find most of them very friendly and accepting of the fact that it’s YOUR jeep and you can paint it any damn color you want to and refer to it as a military jeep as well…..most jeep people can glance at them and tell the difference, and my experience with most jeep folks is that they are pretty darn accepting. You sound to me like a kid just trying to have fun with his jeep, and give others a little enjoyment too. Good for you!
In the future, if any of these “uppity” jeep restorers want to mail you the money to underwrite your restorations, then by all means, let them have a say in how it’s done…..otherwise, tell them to butt out and mind their own business…….”Steve”….
Warmest Regards,
Rock
Josh, I too got my first jeep when I was just 13. I restored it, drove it thru high school. I was offered a good price to sell it, I did; but regreted it ever since. I have restored at least 15 jeeps for other people and myself, over the last 25 years. Yours looks great, KEEP IT! I’m now restoring a 1950 for myself, and have a 48 too. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it. Good luck with all. Scott.
Nice story and congrat Josh. As an older adult it’s nice to see a young man who seems to have his priorities straight and isn’t afraid of hard work. If you haven’t thought of it, maybe you can offer tent rentals for the parents!
Josh,
Unfortunately it isn’t a military jeep but the quite different CJ version. Also the invasion star (star with a circle) was used only during WW2 and mostly on vehicles in Europe after D-Day. After that, in the Korean War the designated national symbol was a single white star used on vehicles and equipment up through Vietnam.
I don’t mean to downplay your effort with my post but this is a trend I’ve noticed where every other CJ is a military mock up. For those of us that painstakingly restore those vehicles specifically designed and built for the U.S. military, staying true to the original govt. specifications, paint colors and correct markings for the time period time they were built is of great importance. We become essentially curators of rolling museum pieces. Historically accurate restorations pay homage to the men who fought and often died in them and that is reason enough I approach the work with some respect. it’s always an honor to take veterans in parades sitting in back of my 52 Willys M38. I’ve also restored a 44 Willys MB.
It used to be rare to see one restored because the actual military versions are far scarcer. They were built in limited numbers and only for certain years, compared to the Civilian models that were cranked out yearly after 1945. I see these mock ups sold as authentic WW2 or Korean war jeeps to gullible buyers all the time and its a truly sad that neither buyer (and often seller) are aware the item is fake and carries a value less than half of its price tag. For us its equivalent to the guy that buys an “H2” Hummer, paints it in CARC or Desert Camo Patterns then puts it up for sale or exhibits it as an Iraqi War Humvee. It would be misleading to say the least.
Again, did not mean to target you specifically but I keep seeing this more and more on this site and felt something should be said.
Steve
congratulations on your energy and creativity. Words of encouragement, you are doing just fine. I purchased my first Jeep at 14 in 1954 from earnings working at a service station. It was a 1948 Jeepster which I loved dearly. Just before I turned seventy, I purchased a 1949 Jeepster which I share with grandkids and this time I will never let it go.
Josh, nice job with the Jeep! I too was 14 when I started restoring my 48 CJ2A. I still own it and am doing a complete frame off restore on it now, 47 years later. The things I learned from working on the Jeep as a teen have been a tremendous asset to me. It is a real sign of maturity when you can finish a job that you started. I hope you keep and preserve your Jeep so someday your children can enjoy it as well! Thrilled to see you share the credit with your folks and with God. You are an inspiration to others your age.
Keep up the good work! you will go far in life.
Nice job of restoring. I am a pilot also, and Willys owner. It’s also nice to see you give credit to the Lord. Fly Safe