Gun truck driver

[FrankUSMC]

Today, I went to the office of an old friend, and we were talking about some military gear he was wanting to get his son who had just become a Boy Scout. Then some how, I told him about my collection of military trucks, and how I am starting to collect Viet Nam vehicles. He starts telling me about his days in Viet Nam as a truck driver. I never even knew he was in the war. He says he drove a gun truck called "Little sure shot". He said he has several photos and would bring them in for me to copy. I am still in shock, as I have known this guy for about 15 years, and ......still can not picture him driving a gun truck!
If I can get him out to my place, I will let play with the m35.
When he brings the photos in, I will share them with the forum.
One of the few, Frank

 

[David_4x4]

Definatelty post them pics up.

I love gun trucks and would like to build one offsome of the ones my dad's cousin built in Vietnam. Only problem is I wanna do one with an M113 hull.

 

[bigbee]

Couple replicas

Cabell Garbee has a link to gun truck photos on his web site. He's always looking for more to add.

Here's a couple replicas I saw this year.

 

[CGarbee]

RE: Couple replicas

Wow Frank... Remind me to haul down my scanner and laptop when you get those photos and we'll do a number on them for you... Meanwhile, here is the link to my collection (small as it is) of photos...
http://www.garbee.net/~cabell/photosguntrucks.htm

Amazing how we never really know about the folks down the street...

 

[rizzo]

RE: Couple replicas

 

[vtdeucedriver]

RE: Couple replicas

Frank, Ive seen pics of little sure shot! Send me a e mail and we can get him intouch with some of his buddies. I am an a Associate member of the ATAV( Army transportation association Vietnam). That and I am in the "Gun truck" click. The guys that built "satan" The truck that is on the current MV Mag........has bought "Untouchable" from its builder Bill in TN. They also have in NJ a M37 named "Malfunction". There is a truck "Ace of Spades" that was built and owned by one of her crewmembers in Vietnam. His fellow crewmembers often are all over the USA showing the truck.

Check out my site
http://linehaulrvn.tripod.com

One of these days I will get mine built, until then "the boys are coverin my ass"

 

[vtdeucedriver]

RE: Couple replicas

"Snoopy" Neat pic.........she was with the 444TC in 69-70. Met a couple of her crew. One of the trucks in her platoon was "The Saint". He is from VT and lives 15 min from me. After he was hit by exploding shell fragments that hit his .50 he was on. He was sent home and the truck was re named "The Red Barron". I will fire up the scanner some time and get some pics up.

 

[liljohn]

RE: Couple replicas

When I was down at Maxwell AFB, AL in June/July I saw a gun truck there. A new one, from the most recent Iraq war. Couldn't get any good pics of it, though - it was way back in a fenced-off area. I found out later it had been procured by the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall, at Gunter, just down the road from Maxwell. They're going to be fixing it up and putting it on display. Will definitely have to check it out once they do!

 

[David_4x4]

RE: Couple replicas

Are there any "original" Vietnam gun trucks still around?

 

[Recovry4x4]

RE: Couple replicas

Are there any "original" Vietnam gun trucks still around?

Only one! Eve of Destruction is at the Transportation Museum in Ft Eustis VA. Thats is the only original gun truck to come back to the states.

 

[Recovry4x4]

RE: Couple replicas

Here are two more links for those with interest in the venerable gun truck.
http://academic.uofs.edu/faculty/gramborw/atav/guntrucks.htm
http://www.transchool.eustis.army.mil/Museum/GTHardened.htm
The latter even has a pic of Eve being loaded in Viet Nam

 

[David_4x4]

RE: Couple replicas

As I'm going through some of these sites I'm noticing a yellow stripe at the edge of the hood on most of these trucks. What's the yellow stripe for?

 

[doghead]

Re: RE: Couple replicas

As I'm going through some of these sites I'm noticing a yellow stripe at the edge of the hood on most of these trucks. What's the yellow stripe for?

Positive identification from the air or long distances, to aviod "friendly" fire.

 

[CGarbee]

RE: Couple replicas

The stripe was used so that the "eye in the sky" could tell what unit a truck belonged to from up in his chopper...

I was reminded when I was captioning my photos that the correct name for one of the trucks was "The Great Eve of Destruction" not "Eve of Destruction"... A seemingly minor point, but one that mattered to the gentleman who emailed me to point it out (and he had crewed one...).

 

[vtdeucedriver]

RE: Couple replicas

To be more specific, you cant tell which companys were what. But 8th GP which consisted of many units had the "yellow nose" so when 8th GP commanders had seen some trucks doing what they disliked, they could control 8th GP drivers.

As for the Name "the Great eve of distruction", that was for a deuce with a quad mount in a arty unit. the one in Ft.Eustes that served with the 523Co.....has always been "Eve of Destruction"

 

[CGarbee]

Re: RE: Couple replicas

As for the Name "the Great eve of distruction", that was for a deuce with a quad mount in a arty unit. the one in Ft.Eustes that served with the 523Co.....has always been "Eve of Destruction"

Well now, that would explain why he was so upset obout the caption being wrong the first time around... And why I suspect that I've got to tweak them again...
Photo nine on my page would be Eve of Destruction while Photos 6-8 are of The Great Eve of Destruction...


I'll get it right one day...

 

[FrankUSMC]

RE: Re: RE: Couple replicas

Good friends don't let friends drink and post photo captions.

One of the few, Frank

 

[JDToumanian]

I wonder if there are any original gun trucks still intact in Vietnam? It would make an interesting History Channel feature, to go there and see what's left of what was left behind...

Jon

 

[73m819]

why go to nam and give them some more US cash, i know that we can find somewhere in the US that could use that money

 

[liljohn]

I highly doubt it anyway. They'd have definitely been picked apart by now.