WW II Veteran Donates Willys-Overland Jeep
Don Foran recently parted with a Jeep that was near and dear to his heart so that others could enjoy it. Hear all about what Don and a special Jeep went through together during World War II.
Danger around every corner
Don Foran spent a good chunk of his time towards the end of World War II behind the wheel of a great piece of machinery. Foran was so good at piloting the 1942 Willys-Overland Universal Jeep around that he was often put on the dangerous assignment of taking documents that concerned the Nazi's Dachau prison camp from Nuremberg to Munich.
>>Join the conversation about Don Foran and the Jeep he's donated right here in the JK-Forum!
Evading the opposition
Foran first arrived in Germany at 18-years-old. He was among the hundreds of other soldiers who made the journey on the over-crowded Queen Elizabeth. The ship was so packed that every other night the soldiers had to rotate and let another person sleep in their bed. When Foran had finally arrived at the borders of France and Germany he was assigned to an S-2 intelligence officer in the 687th Artillery.
The S-2 section had the main objective of locating German encampments about 200 meters or so away and then calling in the coordinates. The whole collection of the section consisted of just Foran, his intelligence officer in a Jeep, and two tanks. The soldier that formerly had Foran's job was so glad to be rid of it that he found it difficult to stop thanking Foran for his rescue. Foran describes the whole affair as "a rather active position."
>>Join the conversation about Don Foran and the Jeep he's donated right here in the JK-Forum!
That had a helluva backstory
“What we’re talking about here is extremely dangerous,” said Ret. Army Col. Clayton Hoffman, former 430 post commander. “Don is very modest about this, but there’s not a more dangerous position in war than being with a foreign observer.”
20 years ago, Foran bought an old Jeep, repainted it from the white coat it had to the original Army green it had and went to work on restoring the mechanical bits. He says that the Jeep was only in slightly better condition than the one he had to drive as a Private back in 1945. The battle-scarred Jeep was salvaged from the Battle of the Bulge just a few months prior and drank far more oil than it did gasoline.
>>Join the conversation about Don Foran and the Jeep he's donated right here in the JK-Forum!
Finally back home
After Foran was discharged from the military in 1946, he returned to Amarillo, Texas, and enjoyed a sedate life. Fancying cars, he spent almost 20 years doing maintenance on vans and buses for the local First Baptist church. After being asked if he still has time for taking care of the vehicles for the church he responded, “I just put gas in them now.”
>>Join the conversation about Don Foran and the Jeep he's donated right here in the JK-Forum!
A truly giving man
Foran donated his 1942 Jeep to VFW Post 430 in Canyon to be used in parades and any other patriotic ceremonies that the posts will have. The 91-year-old Foran knows that he can't take the Jeep with him and just wanted others to be able to appreciate an old military vehicle.
>>Join the conversation about Don Foran and the Jeep he's donated right here in the JK-Forum!