Starting in 2004 the Army JROTC program at Western Harnett High School near Lillington, NC began the process of developing a Motor Pool. Cadets were taught to restore, maintain and drive a variety of military vehicles. In 2004 we bought and restored a Dodge M37, showing it off for the first time in the 2005 Fayetteville, NC Veterans Day Parade. The next project was a Willys M38A1, which was introduced in the 2006 Veterans Day Parade. Then came a major conversion and restoration of a 1947 CJ-2A into a 1944 MB, complete with suspension upgrades and conversion to 12 volt. Again it was introduced in the Fayetteville, NC Veterans Day Parade, this one the 2007 edition. Next came a Ford M151A2 which saw restoration and introduction in Fayetteville in 2008. We are currently working on a 1952 M38 we hope to have ready for 2015’s Vet Parade and a 1963 Kaiser M35A2. Waiting in the wings are a Willys M170, and a Kaiser M715. Last June we took the MB and the M38 in its current state of work to the MVPA Convention on Louisville, KY. We had 6 cadets and a graduate, plus 5 adult chaperones and were very pleased at the positive feedback our program received. I’ve attached a photo of the 7 kids and the tail of the MB from the convention. Also attached is a photo of our current operational vehicle list. We paint and mark all our vehicles for a particular unit and a particular war. The kids wear authentic or replica uniforms from the unit and period. When we go to shows or parades it is the cadets who drive the vehicles.
One of the vehicles is restored from a derelict CJ-2A by cadets and boosters from Western Harnett High School Army JROTC and turned into a 1944 MB of the 1st Bn, 66th AR, 2d Armored Division.