The Willys Overland company made the first Jeeps. The government realized that there was war on the horizon in 1940 and they put out a contract for a light reconnaissance vehicle to 135 automobile companies. The contract listed a limit of 1/4 ton in weight and it be tailored to army specifications. Only 3 companies responded, Bantam, Willys and Ford. It had to be a 4x4 vehicle. Willys made their prototype called the "Quad" for the 4x4 capability. There were only 2 made. That developed to the MA model that had a column shift. They won the contract and the majority of them were shipped to the UK and to Russia. There are only 30 known left of the MA out of thousands that were made. Modifications were made in 1941 in the form labeled the MB. The army dubbed the MB as "General Purpose Vehicle" the soldiers shortened it to Jeep and there you have it. Later the modern company we call Jeep today started as a humble reconnaissance vehicle and now produces some fancy vehicles in the form of the "Grand Cherokee" and others. I wish I had one of the originals when I was on the farm.
Here's a term, "GI" and it was frequently used in the army years ago. Its origin was a reference to galvanized iron used in the military, but the colloquial use came to be general issue or more frequently ground infantry. During world war 2 GI was just used to describe the guys in the army.
Conscripts into the Japanese army during WW-2 were derisively called Yuben Kitte. The term refers to "Postage stamp". Regular army used the term because they felt a conscript's value was basically the cost of the stamp used to bring them into the army. I think about that and wonder how any people could think that way.
The term "Pawn" is defined as the lowest value chess piece because it can only move one space at a time. A second definition is: a person used by others for their own purposes. I sometimes think the military/industrial complex views our soldiers and airmen as pawns in wars in order to gain their profits that would be nil without the constant wars we have been involved in since the fifties. In President Eisenhower's final address to the nation he included the words "beware the military/industrial complex." I now see what he meant.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2026 and beyond.
Here's a term, "GI" and it was frequently used in the army years ago. Its origin was a reference to galvanized iron used in the military, but the colloquial use came to be general issue or more frequently ground infantry. During world war 2 GI was just used to describe the guys in the army.
Conscripts into the Japanese army during WW-2 were derisively called Yuben Kitte. The term refers to "Postage stamp". Regular army used the term because they felt a conscript's value was basically the cost of the stamp used to bring them into the army. I think about that and wonder how any people could think that way.
The term "Pawn" is defined as the lowest value chess piece because it can only move one space at a time. A second definition is: a person used by others for their own purposes. I sometimes think the military/industrial complex views our soldiers and airmen as pawns in wars in order to gain their profits that would be nil without the constant wars we have been involved in since the fifties. In President Eisenhower's final address to the nation he included the words "beware the military/industrial complex." I now see what he meant.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2026 and beyond.
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