Abandoned Deuce

[Lonesome715]

There ahs not be a unit in that area for well over a year. I have no idea who I could go to for that paper work. I did ask BDOC if they new anything about the truck. The Major I spoke to looked into it and siad the truck belongs to no one. The unit he thinks left it behind has been gone for almost two years and is not sloted to return to this base. I already know no one is going to give me paper saying I can have it.

 

[bulldog_mack13]

Then you might run into a huge problem somewhere down the line. Like at a port.
My next guess would be for you to contact CID. Someone somewhere has to be able to tell you something about a truck that was written off the books.

 

[bulldog_mack13]

Ill PM you with the other idea

 

[KaiserM109]

… I know it will be costly to to transport it. But I think I may be able to keep it under $2000 from hear to the port …

Pull a Radar O’Reilly, mail it home piece-by-piece.

In ’68 we had an M37 with a stripped transmission and were unable to get parts. We sent one of our wreckers up to a junkyard near Saigon to see what we could find. The motorpool Sgt. sent them to a particular truck and told them to take the whole thing since they didn’t have the equipment to pull a transmission.

They got it back to our unit and we appraised the situation. The ‘new’ truck had a blown engine, but the rest of it was in far better shape than ours, so we dropped our engine in the new one and put in a req’ for an engine. We faked the log book and away we went. I am told that when the battalion came home in ’69, they gave the truck to the Navy. Our real one probably wound up in the yard in Saigon.

I have often thought about all that equipment we left behind and wondered what happened to it.

My M109A3 was in Iraq with the Arkansas National Guard from 2000 to 2001. The late Armyman30yearsplus posted a picture of a long line of deuces to be scrapped because the Federal units don’t bring equipment home. He told me that mine came home because it belonged to the Arkansas NG and the Fed’s agreement with NG units is that they bring their stuff home.

You should search for the SS thread on the African Queen, a halftrack recovered from Africa. I'm on lunch at work and can't right now.

 

[Lonesome715]

I know a guy that went over there and recovered a bunch of choppers. This Deuce is kind of like that I think. I thought about sending it home in pieces, but the cost would be over whelming.

This is the way I see it. If you throw something in the garbage and I see and take it. I have not stolen from you.

If I am wrong please correct me. The last thing I want to do is sacrifice my integrity.

 

[bulldog_mack13]

Too bad the Gov. doesnt think like we do in your situaton.

 

[Lonesome715]

I just do not want to see it go to waste.

Now, if I do get it home. What kind of chalenges would I face it getting it registered and street legal?

 

[bulldog_mack13]

Im no expert but if the serial number doesnt come up for some reason to still be in the US Military's database then you should be good to go. Apply for a title for a truck that doesnt have one. Like buying a duece from a farmer that got it from GL and never got a title or SF 97.

 

[Lonesome715]

I am going to go speak to some one about helping me with the front bumper and winch. If I can get them off I am hoping it will fit in a 20ft container. I already know a 40ft is out of the question.

 

[CUCVFAN]

Unfortunately, removing that bumper won't buy you the length you need (3+ feet), so it's probably not worth the effort. You'll need a bigger container to get her home with or without the bumper on. The truck is about 22' long without a winch. Even a deuce tractor is just over 20' without a winch.

 

[Lonesome715]

That is a giant problem. I am already pushing our finacial limits by trying for a 20ft container. I may meet mission failure before I start the real effort.

 

[Stretch44875]

remove the bed, pintle hook, and bumperettes for extra length. Can leave the bed behind, they are easy to find.

Dennis

 

[Lonesome715]

I may be able to get help removing the front bumper. But somthing big like the bed will be an issue. It is a good idea though. I will see what I can find out.

 

[KaiserM109]

Here's the link to a thread of great interest to someone wanting to bring an MV back from overseas. You might PM 1943ht and find out some of the details about getting that done.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?t=15115&highlight=african+queen

 

[SCSG-G4]

Get a torch and cut the bed off! Or at least short enough to get it into a container. Beds in good shape cost about $500 here on the east coast. Almost sounds like you are buying the 20 foot container - if so, you can sell it when you get it here (unless you plan on making it into a temporary garage for the truck). In fact, I could use a 20 foot container for storage, so consider it sold if you have to buy it.

 

[powerhouseduece]

All you would have to do to get the bed off is un bolt it and than hook the bed to a truck and drag it off. Just be careful! than you can take the pintle off and bumpers or you can take them off first

 

[joeypushjr1]

well if you get all the nimbers on rig like vin pm carnac he can normaly find out the statis of truck and what unit it belongs to or belonged too .. just and idea....joe

 

[Elwenil]

I think I would leave it. It's not worth spending time in Leavenworth or getting the boot for. Especially since you can pick up a deuce in similar condition stateside for less than what the shipping will cost you. You could spend a lot of cash shipping it here only to have it seized when it gets to a US port. I seem to remember a lot of stories about containers and shipments of "souvenirs" getting taken at the port when they come into the US. And not just weapons either, but other items of dubious ownership. While the truck may have a history to it form being left in the sandbox, there are a lot of trucks here that have been shipped back and have a history in the sandbox so it's not really all that special. About the only real unusual thing about it is the bumper but I'm sure I could make one for a lot less than it would cost to ship that one back here. Spending thousands of dollars to ship it and risking your military career doesn't seem to be the intelligent way to acquire a non-running deuce in unknown condition. Is the story you would have to tell about the truck really worth all of that? Because that is about the only thing that would really separate that particular truck from the thousands of others around the US. I also understand the principal bit of it, but I make it a point not to get myself into trouble over something that is not worth it and that principal has served me well on a number of occasions. Just my .02

 

[Lonesome715]

I am extremely limited on resources. I am trying to limit the people involved only a necessary few. This truck may be abandoned by the military, but my current employer would not like this at all if they found out.

I read that story about the half track. It is very inspiring. But what he spent to get it home far exceeds our budget by several thousand dollars. If we have to spend even a few hundred more than what I was already told, we simply cannot do it. I am already cleaning out our savings to try and pull this off.

 

[Lonesome715]

I understadn what you are saying. I am still in the planning stages right now. I am very concerned about what may happen if some decides to accuse me of stealing. But I cannot help to at least consider this mossion.


Oh yeah, I am not longer in the military. I work in Force Protection and Security.