The U.S. Army celebrated the end of World War I with a cross-country drive, following Lincoln Highway from Washington D.C. to San Francisco.
In 2009 the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) decided to retrace the route with Terry Shelswell leading the way in his 1952 Willys M-38 A1 Jeep
‘The MVPA thought this would be a great way to introduce our association to the public in a really honorable way,? said Shelswell, Independence Township resident. ‘Our mandate is to restore and preserve these historic military vehicles. To show the public these vehicles in operation, not just in a museum setting and to pay tribute to our veterans that used them.?
The original convoy left from Washington D.C. on July 7, 1919.
‘They took 62 days to get across the country because their roads ranged from poured concrete right through to quicksand and mud, poor bridges, and everything in between,? Shelswell said. ‘We didn’t have that? We probably had 250 miles of gravel road out of the 3,200 miles.?
He said they accomplished the trip in 26 days, only resting six days.
‘To see our country at 30-35 miles per hour, that’s pretty neat,? he said. ‘In total, about 220 vehicles were registered ? around 40-45 went the entire distance, along with 15-20 ‘chase vehicles.??
The convoy contained military vehicles ranging from 1918 to current military vehicles. He noted six people from France with three vehicles, one from the UK, and a couple from Alberta, Canada, as well as people from almost every state in the U.S.
‘Typical day for us was what we called ‘first gear,? which was when we moved out from 7 a.m. and we were shutting them down between 6-7 in the evening. We would stop in mid morning for a rest stop, same in the afternoon, and then we would stop for an hour or two for lunch and dinner in the evening,? he said. ‘We had almost every meal provided by local agencies all the way across, it was tremendous.?
Shelswell said they made their destination objectives every day, despite a few mechanical problems. They traveled in a convoy almost like a funeral procession.
‘We traveled military fashion, lights on, we had ‘convoy ahead,? and ‘convoy follows? signage on the vehicles as appropriate,? he said. ‘We had them grouped by like vehicles in a certain order and as we would go along we would stop for lunch, put them in a static show for people and invite the public.?
They stopped at all the places visited by the 1919 convoy. At night, they slept in their vehicles, under the stars, in RVs, or at local hotels.
They were given several pins, flags, and proclamations as they traveled through various states and cities. They went to the SPAM plant and were given 20 cases of the canned meat ‘ceremonially.?
The most heartwarming aspect of the trip for Shelswell was the number of people who greeted them along the way. He recalled in Iowa a lady brought her father who rode a motorcycle in North Africa during World War II. Two men in the convoy were riding military bikes, and he asked one to come over.
‘Sure enough, this old gentleman had ridden a motorcycle like this. He was in a wheelchair, his family helped get him up. He didn’t get on the motorcycle but he leaned beside it, had his picture taken and was smiling from ear to ear,? Shelswell said. ‘Those are the moments you can’t plan and you can’t buy. It was wonderful.?
Another highlight, he said, was being escorted through the Dugway Proving Grounds, a biological testing area in Utah.
‘It wasn’t there when the 1919 convoy went through. It’s a secure base, we made applications and we were given military escort through this,? he said. ‘Once we were inside and past the first, second, and the third gate, everyone was carrying machine guns. They had preserved a bridge over a river wash the 1919 convoy had gone over.?
When they finally reached California, Shelswell said they dropped the ‘chase vehicles? off in Alameda and were given a police escort across the Bay Bridge.
‘We come off the bridge, and we were met by no less than 50 San Francisco motorcycle police. We had a massive police escort through downtown San Francisco at noon on a Wednesday,? he said. ‘They took us through to Lincoln Park where we had our ceremonial end.?
Shelswell lived in Independence Township for the past 15 years with his wife Muriel and his two sons, one of whom serves in the military. He also owns a 1988 Dodge M-37 CDM 3/4 ton cargo truck. Terry is planning to trace the second Army Convoy of 1920 through the southern states in 2012, the 1919 convoy again in 2019 and to keep doing it on a ‘regular basis.?
‘It’s allowed us to see some great country and really have a chance to say thank you to so many veterans as we went along,? he said. ‘Even if they were saluting us and thanking us, we absolutely were there to thank them and salute them.?