John Tonkin

Having proven to the Marine Corps that Jeeps CAN be stuck even with 4-wheel drive, I waited nearly 60 years before making my purchase. I bought it on-line from a person in MO. Bright yellow in color, as a Buckeye I could not abide the Michigan shade of maize and so decided to do a “make-over”. Our grandson was a Marine until he died, so I decided that I would make the Jeep a rolling memorial to him.     

The Jeep spent the first 6 months in the mechanic’s garage to make it roadworthy (and trustworthy). When I got it back, I set to work re-purposing it into what I call a “Parade Jeep”. Paint in official USMC green, yellow stencilling, and custom made seat covers made it look good. I decided that sitting in the sun waiting for a parade to begin was not a good idea, so purchased a summer top with fittings from K-W.  

It has made several appearances to date and is oooh-ed and aaw-ed at regularly. I guess most folks don’t know it’s a civilian Jeep.

Every time I get behind the wheel, I am reminded of how much we miss our grandson. But then that’s the reason I made it a memorial Jeep. Sometimes with tears and sometimes with a smile, I recall him as he was at age 20. He will always be young and alive in my memory.

Update: Re-worked it from a farm Jeep. Purchased from a man in MO who said it ran “good”. An overstatement for sure. New electronic distributor, brakes, horn, tires and paint, she looks okay. When I purchased the Jeep, my objective was to make it into a rolling memorial to my grandson who was a Marine. I served with the Corps in the 1950s and as a member of the Marine Corps League, worked up the paint scheme to reflect all sides of this story. The front bumper holds my old unit designation, the side panels display the memorial and I have banners connoting the League that I display for parades..