Larry Johannes
It was assigned to an atomic support military unit in Korea in 1951. The unit was responsible for one of the largest howitzers ever built, and the only one ever built to fire an atomic shell. This famous gun was called “Atomic Annie”. Our little Jeep was assigned to a soldier there named Don Boyd who was in charge of this howitzer support unit. The gun was only fired once. It was nuclear and It proved that this was certainly not the best way to use an atomic weapon, radiation was too high at only seven miles from the point of impact (it’s firing range). It was never fired again.
The unit and the equipment used there found its way to France by 1956. Our little M38 had its engine rebuilt there and it finished out its service there as well. It was scrapped and sent to San Diego where it was hunted down and purchased by none other than the soldier who drove her, Don Boyd. Don began the restoration and worked on it over 25 years until his death a couple years ago. Don was my next door neighbor. When his health began to fail he asked me to help on the restoration, after his death I purchased the M38 and with your help have restored it to its original look (including the yellow headlights fitted in France in 1956). It resides today in Gun Barrel City, TX…a fitting irony for the little Jeep.
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