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The Next Meeting
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The next meeting will be at Noon on Saturday, May 18, during
![[FMA]](Photos/News/Findlay-Show-logo-W540.jpg)
37th Armed Forces Day Celebration
at Hancock Co. Fairgrounds.
This meeting is ALWAYS well attended - no potluck this month, but no shortage of food options. The PX will be OPEN so stop by the OMP tent anytime during the weekend and say HI!
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Story & Photos by Rick Forys
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Once again, another Findlay Show has gone off with a bang, featuring all of the things we have come to enjoy over
the last thirty-five years of this incredible event. The cannon fired, the flame-thrower burned, and the Hueys swooped
in, all while large crowds of olive drab devotees examined the expansive range of military vehicles that had gathered
for the annual Armed Forces Day tribute.
The weather was about perfect, which surely helped the vehicle turnout, however it was evident that the "Mule Muster"
show theme encouraging all M274 variants to attend, was very popular too. This was the second year for a show theme,
and again it was very successful. Mule Muster festivities culminated Saturday afternoon with a parade of M274s that
ended up in the arena for the group photo shoot, and it seemed everyone enjoyed seeing all the Mules assembled in
formation.
After thirty-six years, with its central location, and dedication to the lifestyle, whether it's interacting with
the vendors or meeting up with old friends, the Findlay Show continues to sit at the crossroads of the military
vehicle hobby.
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Photos & Captions by Rick Forys
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(A) Brisk but clear skies awaited Ohio Motorpool members for their annual March meeting at Liberty Aviation Museum in
Port Clinton Ohio. It is always interesting to see what's new at the museum, and great to see everyone again to kick
off the new season. (B) The Lima M4A3E8 Sherman tank would soon make a big appearance at the Findlay Show.
(C) Focus has shifted to the installation of the final portion of the replacement keel on the PT728 WWII PT Boat project.
(D) Members enjoyed exploring the museum's latest acquisition, a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina amphibious aircraft.
(E) The very busy control panel of the twin-engine Catalina. (F) This Ford Tri-Motor is owned by the museum, but
rarely seen, as it has been under contract with the EAA out of Oshkosh, WI for a number of years. (G)
In contrast to the PBY, the cockpit of the Tri-Motor was rather basic. (H) Recently, the museum has become the
custodian of this running 1941 Packard 110 sedan, powered by a six-cylinder engine, and a three-speed on the
column. (I) March Meetings at the Liberty are always well attended, with plans for the Findlay Show, and the rest
of the season discussed in more detail. (J) Besides all of the aircraft, there were plenty of MVs to see, including
this Dodge WC51. (K) The Tri-Motor restoration also seems to be gaining momentum. On our visit, the landing gear
were being fabricated, and shortly after, a video showed it supporting itself, rolling out of the hanger. Once again, the March
meeting at the Liberty was a good time, and a great way to kick off the Military Vehicle season.
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Story & Photos by Rick Forys
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In Ohio, the official start to the military vehicle season was on February 11, at the Findlay Disabled American Veterans, (DAV)
"The Buddy Chapter" #43 post, where the OMP held their first meeting of the year. Turnout was good with forty-five members and
two guests who came to start the new year, see old friends, and enjoy the first pot-luck of the season. With 428 members as of
this meeting, OMP membership is stronger than ever. Likely the most notable point of the meeting was the introduction of
Kevin Hess as the new Vice President.
The coming Findlay Military Show was a major discussion point, along with the official announcement that this year's December
Christmas Banquet/meeting will now be held at the American Legion in North Baltimore. The group also heard from Michigan member,
Bill Thatcher who talked about a show that the MVCCMI is doing in June with the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, MI. The
steam locomotive Pere Marquette 1225, built in October of 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, OH will be featured.
Contact him for more info about the show. OMP meetings are always fun. See above for the "Next Meeting", or check the
Events Page for all the dates.
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Story & Photos by Rick Forys
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The Ohio Motorpool had a very special guest speaker for their August meeting, held on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at the home
of John & Pam Cheney outside of North Baltimore, OH. The club was very interested to hear from Retired US Army Brigadier
General Mark Scheid, former commander of the US Army Transportation Corps. General Scheid was one of three Generals who
wrote the strategic war plan for the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. After the plan for Iraq was completed and approved,
he served in Kuwait as the Chief of the Joint Movement Control Center.
The General told a number of stories, many about these campaigns, but he spent the majority of his time sharing his thoughts
about the war in Ukraine. Beyond that, he also gave evaluations of the military strength of the major world powers. The meeting
was well attended, and members listened attentively to everything their guest had to say. Besides the General's words, it was a
typical OMP meeting at the Cheney's, featuring their famous pot-luck lunch, and more vehicles to look at than you could remember!
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Story & Photos by Rick Forys
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The July OMP meeting returned to Green Springs, OH on the 10th for the annual Winegardner's Corn Roast. The weather was
near perfect and attendance was strong, with over forty members and guests gathering for the potluck and following meeting.
The highlight of the meeting had to be the presentation by David Thomas of a beautiful eagle award to Don and Ann Winegardner,
from himself and other Ohio Veterans in appreciation of their time and dedication to veteran's interests.
There were seven military vehicles and three artillery pieces on hand to mark the occasion. Five of these were driven in by
members who braved the heat to join Don's GPW and CCKW. Dave Thomas brought his M35A2, Van & Lynn Cole drove their GPW,
Mike Thomas enjoyed the ride in his M151A2, newcomer Lee Stober sported a shiny red CJ3A, and the Cheney squad arrived in a
M998 HMMVEE. Besides eating, chatting and catching up, members also enjoyed watching and hearing musicians Scott Lee & Rick
perform a short summertime concert. Even though it was hot, everyone had a good time, enjoying the opportunity to see each
other again at this traditional OMP event.
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Story & Photos by Rick Forys
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For several years now the Ohio Motorpool has been able to include Camp Perry in its monthly rotation of meeting locations, this year
fitting it into the October slot. As it was still early in the fall, the weather was chilly but pleasant with bright hazy sunshine,
which enticed basically 40 members to leave their cave for a meeting. After the typical OMP pot-luck lunch, the meeting got rolling
around 1:30 covering a pretty normal list of topics including the upcoming Findlay Show & National Convention. Following the formal
meeting portion, a Camp Perry Civilian Marksmanship Program volunteer gave a talk about growing up in the area around Camp Perry.
Afterwards, the group moved out to the tank park to take advantage of the sunshine and also stage a group photo, but unbeknownst to
anyone, one member had another thing in mind and everyone watched as he got down on one knee to purpose to his long-time girlfriend
in front of the Sherman tank, the same spot where they met years ago. She said yes!
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Story & Photos by Rick Forys
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For many Ohio Motorpool members, one of the most anticipated annual club events is the fall trail ride, which continues to be hosted by John
Ellis at the family quarry business, just outside of Danville, OH. This year, members gathered on September 7th for the Noon potluck lunch and
slightly condensed meeting under breezy and mostly sunny skies.
Altogether, ten vehicles were on hand for the ride over hilly and sometimes winding paved and dirt roads, which occasionally followed the
Mohican River with its kayaks and tent campers. Four members brought their vehicles to the quarry start point for the ride, fielding a
1944 Willys MB, and three MUTTs - two M151A2s, and an M151A1 that were either driven or trailered to the event. The remaining six vehicles
were all graciously presented by the host, with four of these offered up for driving to other attending club members. This included two
wartime Dodges, a WC23 and WC63, an M38, M35A2, and two M998 HMMVEEs.
All in all there were no real problems, although one of the Dodges suffered a slight mechanical issue, which I'm sure has already been
fixed. It was a good ride, but all too soon we made our way back to the quarry, towing the suffering Dodge. John Ellis & family were
wonderful hosts, and the quarry makes a great back drop and starting point for this fun annual event. However, being the Fall trail ride,
it also signals the beginning of the end of another busy military vehicle show season in Ohio.
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Story & Photos by Rick Forys
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On august 5th, OMP members turned out in good numbers to support the 16th annual Vintage Truck Magazine Vintage Truck Show at
Young's Dairy, in Yellow Springs, OH. By all accounts this was their largest show with almost 230 trucks on display. The weather
was also near perfect, which very likely encouraged attendance. After trying to get to the show for several years, this was my
first time, and I have to say it was a good show and I had a great time.
The display vehicles were truly fantastic. Of course, most of them were classic civilian vehicles, dominated by Chevys and Fords.
There were also a lot of Dodges, and some Studebakers, Internationals, Willys, and some even lesser known brands. No matter the brand,
the display vehicles ran the gamut from totally stock to well modified, and from highly polished to rusty patina. The non-civilian
vehicles on display were fairly evenly split between fire engines and military vehicles.
One of the show highlights was certainly when OMP member Jerry Warren of Dayton, OH won the Exhibitor's Choice award with his 1985 AM
General M932A1. Along with Jerry and his 5-ton, there were fourteen other military vehicles that attended the show. In brief, Alan
Johnson brought his 1943 Willys MB, David Areola drove his '53 M37, Glen & Judy Miller brought their M38A1 & M1009, Garry Andrews
had the lone M35A2, Tom Sears made the short trip in his 1990 BMY M923A2, Mike Hanes showed up with a new M151A2 project, VP Mike
Spradlin, drove his 1990 M998 HMMWV, Jim Hazlett displayed his DUKW and his Kaiser Jeep M52A1, Ken Hoelscher brought the 1942
Studebaker US6, and Chip Lytle's GMC M135 & civilian painted M37 were also on display.
This was a great show and I'm glad I finally made the trip. The venue is nice, the show is well organized, the parking is easy,
and everything besides food is free! Consider adding this one to the list for next August.
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Story & Photos by Rick Forys
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The Ohio Motorpool was very happy to host the 2017 MVPA National Convention also known as the World of Tanks Cleveland
Tank Plant Homecoming Military Show & Swap Meet. By most all accounts the show was very successful.
It appears that all the planning and hard work by our Ohio Motorpool volunteers paid off, producing possibly one of
the best shows ever. At over 300 military vehicles or displays, it topped the number set at Tobyhanna in 1998 (288),
and public turnout was also very good. It was reported that paid admission was just under 14,000, and the vendor
area was strong too, (406 tables) with most all of the big names on-site ready for business.
Anyway you look at it, this was a great show. Plenty of trucks, lots of people, numerous vendors, and more than enough
space - all you could ask for. The trip back and forth to the host hotel was short and basically all freeway, and
nightly gatherings at the hotel bar were crowded and very lively. As always it was good to see old friends and make
new ones. This convention was big fun and I think my favorite so far. My second favorite was the Louisville
show and guess what? We go back there next year!
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Click the flag for vehicle code info.
This link has proved to be a popular resource for club members.
A lot of information can be found here with a bit of digging. |
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