The free exhibit and museum is open
Wednesday – Saturday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas in Brevard reopens March 2 with a new exhibit displaying a 1943 Willys Jeep (yes, an actual WWII Jeep, not a model), exhibited in a gallery constructed to depict an APO (Army Post Office) somewhere in Europe. In addition, there are eight galleries depicting WWI, WWII-Europe, WWII-Pacific, Korean War, Vietnam War, Global War on Terror, Women in the Military, and Merchant Marine.
How did the museum get the Jeep?
When Ken Dawson donated the Jeep to the museum in 2020, Michel Robertson researched and wrote the story of the Jeep coming to Brevard. Her story, which was published in this newsletter and in the Transylvania Times, follows.
Museum founder/curator Emmett Casciato and board president David Morrow are creating a post office scene as the backdrop for the 1943 Willys Jeep which will be displayed in the museum. Casciato described his vision: “This gallery will become an APO (Army Post Office) somewhere in Europe, where soldiers received mail from home–and sent it.”
The Museum Board of Directors thanks Lake Toxaway Charities for their generous grant which made this project possible.
Above, Ken Dawson and his Jeep in a WWII reenactment
Above, Ken Corn’s video showing the four-part step-by-step preparation of the scene for the WWII Jeep (that’s curator Emmett Casciato on the ladder). This transformation is taking place in the room formerly serving as the lecture room.
WWWII Workhorse to be Stabled in Veterans History Museum
by Michel Robertson
Curators at the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas are preparing the museum for a new acquisition made possible through the lifelong friendship of two young men in love with a WWII champion – the Jeep.
Phil Mayrand and Ken Dawson met as young Explorer Scouts in the late 1950’s. As teenagers, the boys enjoyed summers at Topsail Beach, NC. Surfing and girls were favorite pastimes. “We envied the guys who had 4-wheel vehicles,” said Mayrand. “What we really wanted was a Jeep!”
Phil posing with the Willys-Outlander Station Wagon he helped restore, in 1964 at Topsail Beach, North Carolina. This was as close to a Jeep as the boys could get. Note the surfboard on top.
The Jeep Mystique
As the United States entered the war in Europe, Army planners sought a lightweight four-wheel drive vehicle to carry soldiers and weapons into battle. Bantam produced the prototype which was further refined by Ford Motor Company and Willys-Outlander. The two companies produced 637,770 vehicles, each company producing a Jeep every 90 seconds throughout the war!
The Jeep became the soldier’s best friend, carrying troops and supplies; serving as weapons platforms, ambulances, and trucks; and providing a flat hood which served as a surface for holding communion, delivering speeches, and reviewing battle plans. The manifold could heat c-rations and the radiators offered hot water for a shave!
WWII Workhorse being used as a table for Communion vessels during a church service.
“It was as faithful as a dog, as strong as a mule and as agile as a goat,” said World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle.
On October 13, 1942, in the Battle of Guadalcanal, a Willys MB nicknamed Old Faithful suffered two shrapnel holes in her windshield during shelling by a Japanese battleship. Her Marines awarded her the Purple Heart for “wounds” received on Lunga Beach. She was retired, having traveled more than 11,000 miles of jungle terrain.
Green Pastures for a Willys MB Workhorse
As young men, Ken Dawson and Phil Mayrand went their separate ways, always staying in touch. Phil was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam. Ken maintained a keen interest in WWII history and artifacts, eventually purchasing a 1943 Willys Jeep meticulously restored by two Michigan farmers. Ken and his Jeep rode in Veterans Day parades, attended airshows, and participated in WWII reenactments.
Ken Dawson and his Jeep in a WWII reenactment
Phil and his, wife Diane Carr, retired to Brevard where he is a supporter of the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas. After ten years of Jeep ownership, and in recognition of his friend’s military service, Ken donated his WWII Willys MB to the Brevard museum in Phil’s honor.
“I have a big hole in the basement and a big hole in my heart,” he said. “I did it because of my friendship with Phil and our lifelong brotherhood.”
“It’s extraordinary that we have been blessed with gracious and giving people like Ken Dawson and Phil Mayrand,” said curator Emmett Casciato. “This new exhibit will enable the museum to remain viable and relevant to future generations.”