Interesting conversation

[HingsingM37]

I took the M to the grocery to get fixins for dinner today. We are having a 65 degree day here in NE Ohio so it was grillin time. Upon coming out of the market I found a Vietnam Vet admiring the rig. This happens often so I was waiting for him to tell me an M37 story.
" Wow, nice World War Two truck" he stated.
This took me back
I said it was a Korea/Vietnam era 3/4 ton and that it was a 1958. Used extensively in Vietnam along with dueces and Mutts. They even made gun trucks out of them.
"Vietnam? I never saw any of these in Vietnam.. and I spent 3 years in country..."

Thats the first time that has ever happend Eveidently there must have been some M37 free outfits?

[cuz]

Perhaps he just never saw a 3/4 Ton that clean with all that canvas!

[m-37Bruce]

I guess stuff happens David?
We KNOW they were there, that's what matters, right?

[MikeOneSix]

That happens. Remember that Vet probably had other things on his mind when he was over there and truck recognition was not one of them.

I remember gassing up my M37 at the local station when this blazer heading in the oposite direction pulls a u-turn and comes flying into the gas station, pulls up next to me. The man who was driving gets out and exclaims "I haven't seen one of these since march of 1970." I reply "That's a rather specific date" most folks would just give a generic number of years". He then tells me "March of '70 is when I rotated home from Vietnam. I was on a hill top outpost and needed a vehicle to pick up supplies and what not -something larger then a jeep. So one day this 5 ton cargo rumbles up and they unload a bunch of grates, the driver hands me a manual and a roll of wrenches and says good luck,kid." It was an M37 knocked down-I had to put it together." That Vet and myself talked a good long time about the truck and he gave me some info about what it was like to use an M over in S.E. Asia.
Matt

[rixm37]

It's great what stories these trucks bring out. I always enjoy when a vet tells me about his experience involving an M37. It's like driving a piece of living history .

[Av8r]

Yeah, gas stations are great places for collecting stories like this. Several months ago I was filling up at the station when a guy comes walking over and was quite excited about seeing my truck. He said while in Vietnam his unit had an M-37 for a while. He went on to say the main reason he remembered it so well was that they would only drive it with a brakeman. "A brakeman" I asked. He said, "Yeah, I know it sounds funny but the brakes were so bad that we would only drive it if someone was sitting in the middle whose sole job was to operate the hand brake. A brakeman."

[rixm37]

Now that's a funny story !!

[MikeOneSix]

Wonder if that was Private (KC)Jones on that brake lever?
Matt

[98taco3]

I took my M37 up to a local cruise in a few months back and had a guy park behind me in a 32 ford. He got out and by the look on his face you could tell he knew exactly what it was. Turns out he drove one in Korea. He had some stories and it was very interesting to listen to. A few minutes later, another Korea vet walked up who also drove one in Korea. Seemed like quite a chance encounter to meet 2 vets that drove them in korea. Ive met a few that drove them in in between or in vietnam but these guys were the only ones ive met who drove them in Korea. Any idea how many M37s served in Korea, i dont think it was very many? The one with the 32 ford offered me a soft top setup that is sitting in his barn, i need to get ahold of him again and go pick up the top.

[Paul in Kempner, TX]

The Korean "Police Action" lasted from June 1950 to July 1953. Major US Army units were sent to Korea to augment US and UN troops already there. Most US Army units were still equipped with WWII weapons and equipment and many Korean veterans would have seen WC51's and not M37's.



I would not be surprised by someone who told me he drove an M37 in Korea. M37's got into the supply system in significant numbers in 1952 and started arriving in Korea a while before the truce agreement. The US Army has been there up to the present and used the M37 in great numbers during all the years they were in the inventory. I am one of hundreds who drove an M37 in Korea. I am a veteran of service in Korea, but I am not a veteran of the "Police Action". A current veteran of the "Police Action" would have been born before 1935. M37's were phased out of the inventory in the late sixties. Assuming a phase-out date of 1968 - five years before the "draft" ended - there were many soldiers who might have driven a M37 in Korea and born as late as 1950.

M37's were a mainstay of the Cold War. Typically, one was assigned assigned to each Company or Battalion clerk who used them as a mail truck. One was assigned to every Supply Sergeant and it was the vehicle of choice when going to the "country store". They were a prime mover for artillery in Europe. Because the Viet Nam thing was an "advisory" action and was not a declared war, we can include it as part of the Cold War and remember that many M37's were converted into gun trucks.

I had a nearly new M37B1w/w when I was assigned to a unit at Camp Casey, Korea, about 8 miles south of the 38th Parallel. I arrived in November 1963 and had a ball driving in deep snow with chains on all four wheels. I was also assigned a first series Ford M151. I enjoyed them both equally. Being in civilian clothes status, I had great freedom in learning the capabilities and limitation of these two fantastic vehicles.

On my next tour in Korea in 1970, I was disappointed to have a Kaiser-Jeep M715 instead of a M37. I still had a M151 for fun, but my #2 fun truck turned out to be a M35. Again, being on civilian clothes status let me enjoy the capabilities of those two fun trucks. I still had to use the M715 for certain work missions but it was never fun.

Thank you taxpayers for letting me - and thousands more - play with your M37's in Korea.

[rixm37]

I posted a picture I found of an M37 in Korea during the war under General on the forum. I also have had a vet of that war say he drove them there. I believe there were both Dodges there.
http://www.g741.org/PHPBB/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3057

[MikeOneSix]

Both WW II and M series vehicles were used over there during the conflict. The newer (at the time ) M series stuff came in later and as one vet told me, "they kept the newer vehicles away from the front were they might get damaged and used up the WW II stuff."

Although the M37s were (supposedly) replaced by the M715 starting in 1968, I know of veterans who drove the 'ol Dodges up into the early 80s. Don't remember where I saw it (think it might have been over on g503) but someone posted a color photo of an M37 still in service sporting the 4 color merdc camo pattern used in the mid 70s-early 80s.

Matt

[Lifer]

My ANG unit had several M37s and an M38A1 in the late sixties and the seventies. We kept them pretty busy transporting our riot control team to various planned demonstration sites. I got recalled to active duty (at my own request) in 1972, I visited my old Guard unit when I came home on leave in 1979 and again when I returned home from an assignment in a place that "didn't exist" in 1983. The M37s were still there and still earning their keep.

[vtdeucedriver]

Before I put away the 37 for the winter, I hit the gas station and a vet started talking to me about his experience with the M-37. While he was talking, a guy climbed out of a newer dodge truck and walked by us and said "Nice Jeep"

[cuz]

walked by us and said "Nice Jeep"

I have only had my M for less than two years and have had two guys call it a jeep. Now I keep the jeep photo in the glove box.