There's going to be a time when the MV community needs to get in the same canoe and paddle in the same direction. It's coming fast so all the folks that can steer and all the folks that can paddle should start training.
I'm only 11 years in the MV community. Before owning one, I thought that anyone who bought a used, beaten MV was special. It turns out we are special, diverse, hysterical, historical and deep down, love our country and our community. We love MV's so much this diverse community has done everything to recycle, reuse and not dispose of Military equipments that carry the blood of each and everyone of us. I was touched by the loss of war and my buddy Nick Bulgar, with so many others, died while empowering the rest of us with freedom. He was in a Canadian MV while in protection of General Vance and it can't be forgotten. I parade and display MV's to talk about Nick, George M, Zachary M., their families and to teach what little I know about MV's.
MV collectors have done a terrible job gaining interest or support from the general public to ensure this hobby is sustainable. We will need some ideas so the strategists will step forward soon.
Many MV collectors perform parades, command changes, airshows, museum events and the most honourable tasks at funerals. Others simply pull up at a legion and let the veterans see the old iron. Anything public to engage the public and become inviting, kind, educational green iron lovers. Others use the trucks for work, the farm, hunting and an endless line of those liberties freedom brings. Loving our communities has engaged MV owners for over Seventy years in Civil Defense, high water and evacuation rescues, firefighting or just pulling a friend out of the ditch. Some folks just want an MV like Governor Arnold and my favorite puppet guy, Jeff Dunham.
If we don't engage the public in this hobby, "For the Good of the Greater Public", we will not have the support to sustain it.
As a civilian in my youth, green army iron demanded respect. I lived near a military base and we were told the MP's would shoot to kill if we were in the wrong place at the right time. We had a respectful fear of the military.
As a civilian, you green truck, jeep, MV guys were scary. We avoided you. It's not like you were inviting us over to your warehouse to look at your collection. You were the other guys with guns so the perception of MV's in private hands does not change that from a general public point of view, in my fat, balding guy opinion. That was my perception as a civilian until I started meeting our local MVPA boys. These local MVPA fellas paraded dignitaries for decades up here doing everything they could to stay in the public eye.......but it's not enough. We're all going to need to get in one of the boats and paddle.
We have a duty to ourselves and a duty to bind the public opinion in support of MV's.
This is usually when "I move" that we work towards legislation that protects our right to MV in public. Then someone says I second that move but we need a "steering committee" .....then five guys put their hands up and stuff gets done.
In this case, I'm starting a dialogue to brainstorm our future! The future is not MVironmentally friendly.
