B29Gunner
Member
- 2
- 32
- 13
- Location
- Morganton, GA.
Hi friends,
My name is Trevor McIntyre. I'm the curator at the Fannin County Veterans Memorial Park in Blue Ridge, Georgia.
This is my first post here on SteelSoldiers, and it's one that I never thought I'd have to make.
I learned of Mike's passing last Saturday (Nov. 20th) from another member here, amgeneral72, and I'm still in shock. I was just texting and e-mailing with Mike that Wednesday, and it's hard to believe that he was gone only a few hours later.
For those who never had the pleasure of meeting Mike, I wanted to share a few quick stories about the kind of man he was.
Mike was a great guy and a big supporter of our veterans park. If he was in town, Mike would always try to bring some of his vehicles over for display during our ceremonies at the park. He truly loved sharing his vehicles with the public and talking to the veterans who actually used them.
On more than one occasion, Mike would get up early and make multiple trips shuttling vehicles over from his shop in Blairsville to our veterans park in Blue Ridge for our ceremonies on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. He would do this all by himself, and when you add up all the time he spent going back and forth, he probably spent a good 2 or 3 hours on just the driving alone. But he knew what these vehicles meant to the veterans, so he didn't think twice about it. That's the kind of guy he was!
For our Memorial Day Ceremony one year, Mike had his Mule set up on display next to our Huey, complete with a dummy M60 that he had recently picked up. The Mule was a big hit with our local Vietnam Veterans. Most of them had not seen a Mule since they came back from Vietnam, and it sure brought back a lot of memories.
Just before the ceremony started, Mike walked over to our veterans center next to the park to use the head, so I played a little joke on him. I had a bag of spent 7.62 brass that I was going to sprinkle around inside our Huey for dramatic effect, and I decided to scatter some on his Mule around the M60 while he was gone.
When Mike came back, he walked past his Mule and then suddenly stopped and did a double take when he noticed all of this spent brass laying all over the place. The confused look on his face was priceless! I couldn't contain myself anymore, so I walked over and told him that some of the 'Nam vets had fired off a few bursts from his -60 while he was gone!
Another time, I was working on a special exhibit for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima that was going to be featured in our little museum, but I couldn't find a display case for it. Then I remembered that Mike had recently bought a display case that was the exact size that I needed, so I asked him if we could borrow it for our display. Mike was of course more than happy to help us out and loaned it to us. Thanks to him, our special event for the 75th anniversary of the battle was a great success.
A short time later, Mike decided that he wanted to donate that display case to us! I even offered to buy it from him, but Mike wouldn't hear of it. He wanted us to have it for our museum, and we are still using it to this day.
Only two weeks ago, Mike brought his Deuce over for the Veterans Parade at the Fannin County Middle School. This special parade started last year during the pandemic as a way for the students to show their appreciation to our local veterans for their service, and it has now turned into an annual event. Just imagine around 1,000 cheering kids lining the parking lot of their school while holding signs and waving flags as a 60+ vehicle convoy of veterans slowly drive by, and that will give you an idea of what this parade is. It's quite a sight to see!
I invited Mike to bring his Deuce over for the parade, and it was a big hit with the kids!
Our park and veterans center are located at the entrance of the school, but Mike had to get back to Blairsville and didn't have time to stop and hang out after the parade. I had no idea that would be the last time I'd see him.
I wanted to share these pictures I took of Mike in the parade that day. I wish you all could have seen the big smile on his face as he drove by! This would be the last parade Mike would ever drive in, and I could tell that he was having the time of his life!
I still can't believe he's gone, but I find solace in knowing that his efforts touched so many lives. I saw with my own eyes what the time and effort he put into his vehicles meant to our veterans and their families, and how some of them were moved to the point of tears.
We should all be thankful for men like Mike who dedicated so much to preserving our nation's military history, and to ensuring the sacrifices of our veterans are never forgotten.
It was a privilege to call him a friend.
Blue Skies, Mike. I'll never forget you, buddy!
My name is Trevor McIntyre. I'm the curator at the Fannin County Veterans Memorial Park in Blue Ridge, Georgia.
This is my first post here on SteelSoldiers, and it's one that I never thought I'd have to make.
I learned of Mike's passing last Saturday (Nov. 20th) from another member here, amgeneral72, and I'm still in shock. I was just texting and e-mailing with Mike that Wednesday, and it's hard to believe that he was gone only a few hours later.
For those who never had the pleasure of meeting Mike, I wanted to share a few quick stories about the kind of man he was.
Mike was a great guy and a big supporter of our veterans park. If he was in town, Mike would always try to bring some of his vehicles over for display during our ceremonies at the park. He truly loved sharing his vehicles with the public and talking to the veterans who actually used them.
On more than one occasion, Mike would get up early and make multiple trips shuttling vehicles over from his shop in Blairsville to our veterans park in Blue Ridge for our ceremonies on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. He would do this all by himself, and when you add up all the time he spent going back and forth, he probably spent a good 2 or 3 hours on just the driving alone. But he knew what these vehicles meant to the veterans, so he didn't think twice about it. That's the kind of guy he was!
For our Memorial Day Ceremony one year, Mike had his Mule set up on display next to our Huey, complete with a dummy M60 that he had recently picked up. The Mule was a big hit with our local Vietnam Veterans. Most of them had not seen a Mule since they came back from Vietnam, and it sure brought back a lot of memories.
Just before the ceremony started, Mike walked over to our veterans center next to the park to use the head, so I played a little joke on him. I had a bag of spent 7.62 brass that I was going to sprinkle around inside our Huey for dramatic effect, and I decided to scatter some on his Mule around the M60 while he was gone.
When Mike came back, he walked past his Mule and then suddenly stopped and did a double take when he noticed all of this spent brass laying all over the place. The confused look on his face was priceless! I couldn't contain myself anymore, so I walked over and told him that some of the 'Nam vets had fired off a few bursts from his -60 while he was gone!
Another time, I was working on a special exhibit for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima that was going to be featured in our little museum, but I couldn't find a display case for it. Then I remembered that Mike had recently bought a display case that was the exact size that I needed, so I asked him if we could borrow it for our display. Mike was of course more than happy to help us out and loaned it to us. Thanks to him, our special event for the 75th anniversary of the battle was a great success.
A short time later, Mike decided that he wanted to donate that display case to us! I even offered to buy it from him, but Mike wouldn't hear of it. He wanted us to have it for our museum, and we are still using it to this day.
Only two weeks ago, Mike brought his Deuce over for the Veterans Parade at the Fannin County Middle School. This special parade started last year during the pandemic as a way for the students to show their appreciation to our local veterans for their service, and it has now turned into an annual event. Just imagine around 1,000 cheering kids lining the parking lot of their school while holding signs and waving flags as a 60+ vehicle convoy of veterans slowly drive by, and that will give you an idea of what this parade is. It's quite a sight to see!
I invited Mike to bring his Deuce over for the parade, and it was a big hit with the kids!
Our park and veterans center are located at the entrance of the school, but Mike had to get back to Blairsville and didn't have time to stop and hang out after the parade. I had no idea that would be the last time I'd see him.
I wanted to share these pictures I took of Mike in the parade that day. I wish you all could have seen the big smile on his face as he drove by! This would be the last parade Mike would ever drive in, and I could tell that he was having the time of his life!
I still can't believe he's gone, but I find solace in knowing that his efforts touched so many lives. I saw with my own eyes what the time and effort he put into his vehicles meant to our veterans and their families, and how some of them were moved to the point of tears.
We should all be thankful for men like Mike who dedicated so much to preserving our nation's military history, and to ensuring the sacrifices of our veterans are never forgotten.
It was a privilege to call him a friend.
Blue Skies, Mike. I'll never forget you, buddy!