Steve McGinnis, left, and Mike Fernandez discuss the Ford MIS7, the 49th one made. Tower Park was swarming with military vehicles Friday afternoon for the World War II event held this weekend. (Whitney Ramirez/News-Sentinel)

Keeping history alive

World War II vehicle fanatics invade campground in Terminous

TERMINOUS — The KOA Campground at Tower Park Marina looked like a World War II battleground the past several days, as hundreds of military vehicle collectors took up the entire campground to enjoy each other's company and show off what they have.

"I just loved that time in history, when everybody pulled together and put their petty differences aside," said Cameron Launier, 27, of Auburn. "It's one of those times in history that's gone."

"It was when America was America," added Mark Garcia, 45, of Elk Grove.

World War II dominated the four-day gathering that began in earnest on Thursday, but it wasn't limited to that war.

"It's not just World War II; I was driving a Hummer," said Kurt Lesser of San Jose, president of the Military Vehicle Collectors of California.

Military history aficionados displayed their vehicles for the weekend. Garcia, who brought his 1945 Willy's Model B, estimates there were 1,000 or more vehicles at Tower Park.

"Our emphasis is to keep the history of military vehicles alive," Lesser said.

There isn't any particular place that peddles World War II-vintage vehicles. Collectors will buy them by word of mouth or just find them by accident.

Richard Spear's Scout Car M3AI is one of the many different World War I and II military vehicles that were at Tower Park on Friday afternoon. Tower Park KOA camp hosted a weekend-long World War I and II event. (Whitney Ramirez/News-Sentinel)

Garcia bought his Model B from an old friend who served in World War II. Louis DiDonato, who came all the way from Sierra Vista, Ariz., bought his 1944 Willy's Jeep from a mutual friend. And Barry Cox, who lives in the Napa Valley, bought his 1944 M-20 armored car after running into someone 30 miles from his residence who happened to have it for sale.

"It was twice the price of the first house I bought," Cox said.

Lesser bought his first military vehicle in 1981 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and drove it all the way back to San Jose going 45 mph.

One place collectors often find military vehicles are on farms. It may have been owned by the grandfather of the farmer who lives there and hadn't been running in 20 years, he said.

Collectors often get a good deal for the vehicle, Lesser said. Sometimes, a farmer will say, "If you can move it, you can keep it."

Although Garcia isn't old enough to have served in World War II, his grandfather's brother, who served in Europe, has told him war stories for years.

"Since I was a kid, my mother always said I was in World War II reincarnated," Garcia said.

Some vehicle collectors participate in parades and re-enactments. Garcia and Launier will show off their World War II vehicles at the Western Festival Parade May 5 in Elk Grove. And every couple of months, World War II re-enactments are done outside of Foresthill, a small town near Auburn.

Some collectors, though, don't have a major affinity with military history. Cox is a good example.

"It's random chance what you choose to collect," Cox said. "It could have been watches."

But military vehicles are his choice.

"I have two or three others restored and a pile of others," Cox said, smiling. "It's a sickness."

Cox describes his M-20 as "a reconnaissance vehicle vs. a fighting vehicle. It was made by Ford — one of Henry's better ideas."

Some participants, who came from as far as Montana and New Mexico, wore uniforms from World War II or even civilian clothes from the 1940s.

Some do re-enactments at other events, as Garcia and Launier do in Foresthill. They re-create the Battle of the Bulge every two months. Some wear American uniforms and others wear German outfits.

Launier's girlfriend, Bobbi Miller, an emergency medical technician for the Newcastle Fire District near Auburn, enjoyed the event at Tower Park Marina, but she's looking forward to teaming up with another woman to portray medics at the re-enactments. She'll borrow an 85-pound dummy used for structure fire drills at her fire district.

Three-quarters of the 600-member Military Vehicle Collectors of California are veterans from either World War II, Korea or Vietnam, although some of them are from Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

"The rest are interested in some particular aspect," Lesser said. "Somebody may be interested in tents.

"It's just a fun group of people with an interest — not in war — but military history," Lesser said.

To keep women from suffering through their husband's or boyfriend's crazy hobby, a group called the Madames was formed in 2003, said Nancy Hoskins of Santa Rosa, one of the group's founders.

It started out as a group of vintage clothing collectors, but evolved in a social group for women while their husband do their macho thing. They'll also sell hot dogs, chips and raffle tickets, and send care packages to the troops in the Middle East.

"It helped us get to know each other," Hoskins said. "It makes the husbands happy because we don't complain about coming."

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.