KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hell on Wheels — a Kansas City-area affiliate of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, an international historic military vehicle group — displayed vintage Army vehicles on the south lawn of the WWI Museum and Memorial on Saturday.
“My dad was a naval aviator in WWII, it’s our obligation to keep the history alive," said John Pojunos, who was in charge of the display.
Pojunos owns and restored a 1941 Dodge half-ton truck that was used to carry weapons in WWII. He drove the vehicle from Olathe to the display on Saturday.
“I just drove it up, I don’t hesitate to drive it anywhere," he said. "I don’t go on the interstate 'cause it won’t do interstate speeds.”
Some attendees had a different journey to the display.
Trina Kimbrough drove to Kansas City from Columbia, Missouri.
“We just came here. We just wanted to go see the museum, and this was a pleasant surprise to see this out here, so we kind of just stopped in," she said.
Her dad was a Vietnam veteran; she works at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Columbia to honor him.
"This is the time we can honor those who have served, we can show them that we’re appreciative, we’re grateful and we’re thankful,” she said.
Marine Corps veteran Pat Jardon felt the same way.
“It’s not a day off, it’s honoring those ones who didn’t get to come home," he said.
Jardon restored a 1942 Ford model of a Jeep, which took him two years to complete.
“This Jeep, it’s a WWII Jeep, and it’s kind of a living history," Jardon said.
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