a terrible sight for a man to see

[garp]

I am sure the story I am going to tell will surprise a few folks, and I am sure others have run into this already. Friend was at a local scrap yard looking for some project iron. He called and asked me to get down there asap. They were in the process of cutting up some military trucks he tells me. I skipped oujt fo work early and jet over there. The guy tells me look all you want, but I cant sell you a nut or bolt. He had a document, that he let me see, that stated the material he had recieved was to be mutilated and destroyed for the purposwe of recycling. NO items to be retained or sold. So with this We went out into the yard and find couple of m813s cut down to the bare essentials and an m35a2 just visible as a pile of 18in chunks. Feeling totally disgusted and unable to talk I turned and left. As i lef tthe yard I saw 7 more trucks across the road awaiting the same fate. 2 more m35s and 5 more 5 tons. One of the five tons had a Hemmitt cab sitting on the bed too. ANd to top it off they even had new or near new tires all the way around. What a freaking waste, I may go be sick now that i have retold this sad tale. Pray for me,lol

 

[Panzer_peter]

I know what you mean and how you must feel

The stupidity of man can shock and surprice !!!

 

[Blythewoodjoe]

I would like to know where the piece of paper came from. I find it hard to believe in a day when the "government" is wanting us to get all the use we can out of stuff to save the planet that common sense has alluded so many people. The sad part is, that metal is probably going to China. This sort of thing will continue to happen until people like us get video, pictures and documents of this stuff happening and get this info into the right hands, which I am afraid to say may be the very "green" people that want our stuff off the road.

Even for the environmentalist this would represent waist because every useful thing that is destroyed takes natural resource to shape it into something new. These trucks could obviously be used for the good of mankind in the form of transportation in remote area's where conventional transportation won't work. It's an election year coming up, we need to work the system or those that do will walk all over us.

Joe Trapp
AKA, the grumpy gringo

 

[BKubu]

For some reason, some of the trucks that have come out recently were released with the explicit notification that they were to be scrapped completely. I believe most came out of Louisiana, but some came out elsewhere (e.g., PA), too. I am not sure why these were released this way since the same truck elsewhere can be sold in one piece. This is scary to say the least. We probably need to talk to the MVPA to see if they can lobby on our behalf.

 

[emmado22]

If it's not a WWII Jeep of some sort, I dont think the MVPA will care much....

 

[clinto]

We probably need to talk to the MVPA to see if they can lobby on our behalf.

Yeah, good luck on that……….in between the behind-the-scenes games the Board of Directors are playing and the fact that the only MV's they care about were surplussed 40+ years ago, I suspect they have little interest in helping the younger generation.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Anyone want to head up the SS PAC?! Do we have any members in the DC area?

 

[clinto]

I am all for a SS PAC, but it takes REAL money to make it happen.

We'll have to sell a lot more banner ads, and we will need a reasonably strong coalition.......other groups..... to help carry the burden.

 

[steelsoldiers]

The banner ads are coming soon, eh-hem, cough, cough.

I know there are other clubs out there that would join the fight. So as not to hi-jack garp's thread any more, I will start a new one for SS PAC discussion.

 

[DDoyle]

It is rare that I would speak harshly to my fellow SS members - but do any of you actually know any of the MVPA board members, or personally approached them about a hobby matter?

I am on a first name basis with more than half of them (on both sides of the club's internal politics - despite their differences, all do have, in my view, a genuine interest in the preservation of old OD iron), and have known some of these guys since before I started writing. Speaking of writing - anyone noticed that I now have a regular column in the MVPA's mag? Anyone notice that its never been about WWII Jeeps - or WWII anything else? That is because the MVPA Board asked me to write about M-series vehicles and big trucks - because, in their words, this is an area of great interest and growth in the hobby, yet no one was sending in articles on this stuff. If they don't have it, they can't print it (same with any mag), in the MVPA mag (Army Motors). If anyone wants to see more articles on big M-series iron, write an article and send it to the editor (I'll give you his address), it'll make for a little less work on my overcrowded plate.

You'll get a lot more action/information out of the MVPA than it seems many here think. You'll get it by a polite, concerned phone call or email, and you'll get a result, not a fancy press release shouted from a rooftop. And they'll enlist the help of local people to deal with this - much like we do here on SS.

If someone has a breakdown in Florida and contacts Chris S - he doesn't fly to FL to fix the truck, he makes the connection with Kenny, who may then make the connection to someone else, and ultimately the problem is solved. Similarly, the MVPA board is not going to fly to a South Dakota scrapyard - but through a network will none-the-less look into MV concerns of their membership.

Now, if someone will PM me with the details of this particular situation, I'll get it to the appropriate people. My hunch is that some DRMS person in order to minimize their paperwork, lotted these as heavy unprepared scrap, along with a bunch of other stuff, which required mutilation, rather than selling them as "vehicles".

End of rant.

Regards,
David Doyle

 

[citizensoldier]

Not a rant! Good point.. Now if only I could write good and spell check did grammer.. Hmmmm. I am screwed.

 

[2027Deuce]

Post subject: a terrible sight for a man to see Posted: Oct 10, 2007 - 12:54 AM

I thought that was the mother in law. Ok not going there.

Anyone want to head up the SS PAC?!

I would love any opportunity to blow-viate my opinion to any group of pencil pushing yahoos in D.C. but... I don't live in D.C. and there are many others on this sight that have forgotten more knowledge on MVs than I will ever have.

I think David is right,someone at DRMO just didn't want the extra paperwork. I still hate seeing those green beauties cut up.

Scott

 

[JDToumanian]

Even if the MVPA flat-out said, "We don't care about anything post-WWII, especially big dumb cargo trucks", it would be easier to band together and join the MVPA, get as many supporters as possible and then stage a coup at the elections... than it would be to start our own PAC from scratch. But I'm sure David is right... they don't want to see green iron needlessly scrapped any more than we do.

Jon

 

[Dieselsmoke]

I can't believe anyone would just ASSume that the MVPA won't care without trying first.
Now back to the subject, I've come across this numerous times. About 10 years ago EVERY truck that came up at DRMO Ft. Carson (and a few other bases) had to be demilled. This went on for about 3 months until..the MVPA jumped in.

 

[jasonjc]

Anyone whatch the "bone yard" shows on Discovery channel's. They had one that showed a great looking M35a2 being cut up by one of those big track hoes with the cutter thing. Even the front trun lights look new. It was some scrap dealer near annisten I think.

 

[hndrsonj]

I am not sure, but all trucks that I have seen demilled were sold as SCRAP. Maybe it's just an unknowing GL person??? Or maybe it is EASIER to list trucks as scrap and not have to deal with so much paaperwork? I do not know any GL people that are collectors and they probably do not care what happens to these vehicles.

 

[emmado22]

All GL cares about is that get get $$$ for the truck, either as a truck, or 15,000# of scrap metal. Im sure they dont care either way.

 

[pa.rich]

I met an older gentleman a couple days ago that obtained five mutts, the old jeeps. He said they were a group of jeeps cut in two. These have been welded together and a very good job of it too. He asked me if I was interested in any of them. I really dont understand the logic behind destroying a motor vehicle. A large waste of money that could have been recouped by our gov't. I could understand limiting the sale to overseas parties, so not to be used against us, but to make something useful to the taxpayers rather than scrap, that would make too much sense! Yes, I admit I have scrapped a M211, but there wasnt anything much left of value, and it couldnt be saved, but to scrap a useable vehicle is waste no matter how you look at it. More of our tax money getting wasted. I dont know the answer to the problem , but if someone has an idea, let us know. Its difficult to change the ways of our govt. so I feel helpless . Especially on the federal level.

 

[garp]

the paperwork was from GL. As for where the trucks came from is easy too. All carried the markings of the local Nat. Gaurd unit here. the trucks were part of a scrap iron sale at Ellsworth AFB. P.S. my back hurts from the constant retching I still endure

 

[DDoyle]

GL merely passes along the demil codes assigned by Uncle Sam. Just like anyone else, they are in business to make money - and probably they would get more for something saleable as an operable truck, rather than so many pounds of scrap. Sounds like someone at Ellsworth determined it was easier to turn in scrap than vehicles. If this was a GL employee, a call to AZ would likely result in their dismisal - again, for not producing the biggest return on the dollar. If it was classified as scrap by DRMS - then this is much more challenging.

DD