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| Second Arsenal of Freedom Festival |
Photos & Story by Rick Forys
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For the second year, the Military Vehicle Collectors Club of Michigan,
joined forces with the Steam Railroading Institute, at their location in Owosso, MI to produce the Arsenal of Freedom Festival. The
show mixes military vehicles with the iconic Pere Marquette locomotive 1225, now back in service after a lengthy rebuild. Attendees
were welcomed by sunny skies and very pleasant conditions for the event, which saw a nice influx of new vehicles.
The nicer weather also enabled the club to hold a lot more road tours around the Owosso area. These were extremely popular with the
vehicle owners, and the few lucky show attendees who were able to snag a ride. It turned out to be a very pleasant weekend, which
gave the owners a lot more opportunities to run their trucks, which made everyone happy!
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| American Legion Summer Show |
Photos & Story by Rick Forys
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In 2023, the Military Vehicle Collector's Club of Michigan
continued its program of pairing with veterans organizations to produce military vehicle events. This time the road show
traveled to the northern suburbs of metro Detroit for the weekend of August 25-18, setting up camp at American Legion Campbell
Richmond Post 63 in Clarkston, MI.
Regardless of the unusually chilly August weather, the vehicle turnout was pretty good, and several members even camped on-site
for the event. Altogether, there were eleven trucks and four trailers on display. This was another successful outing for the club,
and our veteran's group partnership program. The Clarkston post was a nice facility for the show, with adequate space, and good
freeway accessibility. They were happy to host the event, and were pleased with the way everything turned out. Our members enjoyed
bringing the trucks out for the weekend, and we were able to shine some light on our hobby to some new faces, many who didn't even
know it existed.
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Photos & Story by Rick Forys
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On January 21 and again on March 18, 2023, MVCCMI members held their annual
Military Vehicle Workshops at Terry Burke's shop in Taylor, MI. Continuing on with last year's Dodge projects, there has been some progress
since our last workshops. The WC51 had received some updates including a new radiator and fuel tank. As for the command car, the stuck
six-cylinder flathead had been removed, but the rest of the drive train remained. In the mean time, the M38 was in a mood, and refused
to start.
The team broke into two groups. One headed by Bill Nutting chased the issue with the M38, while another group driven by Chuck Chapman
set off to remove the gear box from the command car. Both eventually prevailed. By the early afternoon, Chuck was seen off in the
corner cleaning and inspecting the grimy non-synchronized transmission, complete with "New Process" gear stamping, while Bill worked
his magic, finding and replacing a bad wire inside the distributor. After prepping the engine, Terry Burke got behind the wheel, and
with a little coaxing managed to bring the engine back to life once again.
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Official News - October 1, 2013 - For Immediate Release:
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Arsenal of Democracy Motor Pool
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The Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum (the Museum) and the independent Arsenal of Democracy Motor Pool
(Motor Pool) were formed several years ago with similar mission statements. That is, to educate the public
through exhibits, displays and activities using vintage military vehicles and other equipment to demonstrate the
significant role of the automobile industry in defending our freedoms. In the beginning, the Motor Pool was
known as Alpha Company or Able Company, a branch of the Great Lakes Military Vehicle Preservation Association
(GLMVPA). John Lind, curator of the Museum, was one of the founding members of the Motor Pool and an
officer on the Board of Directors for four years.
A few years after getting started, the Motor Pool was growing and submitted an application to the international
MVPA to become an independent affiliate in its own right and became known as the Arsenal of Democracy Motor Pool.
The Motor Pool was and always has been a separate entity from the Museum.
Recently, Mr. Lind acquired through lease a building for his use as a museum. He is currently focusing his
efforts in developing this museum and is no longer a member of the Motor Pool Board. The Motor Pool Board
wishes Mr. Lind well in his pursuits.
Concurrently, the Board of Directors of the Motor Pool has determined that a greater measure of differentiation
is in order for the organization. This was determined to be necessary due to the similarity of the names
and the resulting confusion over what entity was what and who was governing whom.
Therefore, the Board of Directors of the Motor Pool decided to file legal documents with the State of Michigan
and the international MVPA to do business as the Military Vehicle Collectors Club of Michigan. (MVCC-MI)
This name harkens back to the founding of the MVPA in the 1970s when it was known as the MVCC. The
name change, effective immediately, will not affect in any way the organization's corporate or tax status nor will
the mission statement radically change. Rather, it will be considered a new beginning for the organization
and its members who will continue to proudly display and operate their vehicles and interact with the public in a
fun, safe and educational environment on the history, manufacture and use of vintage military vehicles.
Implementing its five year Strategic Objectives Plan, it will do this through public events, outreach programs
with various community and veterans groups, other museums and non-profit organizations as well as schools and
municipalities.
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