MVPA plans 2012 Alaska Highway Convoy

The Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) is pleased to announce plans to conduct a 70th Anniversary Convoy on the famous Alaska Highway in August 2012. MVPA members will honor this great engineering accomplishment by traveling the Alaska Highway in historic military vehicles. Additionally, these MVPA members will honor our Veterans and all members of our Armed Forces with this convoy.

In support of the organization’s mission “History in Motion,” the MVPA 2012 Alaska Highway Convoy will launch from Dawson Creek, British Columbia on Aug. 4, 2012. The convoy will travel approximately 3,500 miles in 30 days.

While many groups travel the Alaska Highway, the MVPA’s convoy to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the building of the Alaska Highway is especially significant, according to Stan Cohen, author of the book, The Trail of ’42 – A Pictorial History of the Alaska Highway.

“Military vehicles were the backbone of the Alaska Highway construction project,” said Cohen. “Building the road would not have been possible without over 7,000 pieces of military equipment.”

According to MVPA Convoy Projects Leader and Convoy Commander Terry Shelswell, over 50 historic military vehicles are expected to travel the entire 3,500-mile route with more vehicles joining in to drive a portion of the trip.

“This will be a convoy of historic military vehicles—of all eras, from WWI through current-issue,” said Convoy Commander Shelswell. “The military vehicles are privately owned and restored by individuals who have an interest in preserving these vehicles and the important roles they played throughout our military history.”

In 2009, the MVPA retraced the Army’s 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy along the famed Lincoln Highway from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. More than 100 military vehicles participated in that historic 30-day convoy.

As the convoy passes through cities and towns along the Alaska Highway, MVPA members will draw attention to the 70th anniversary of this great engineering feat and the U.S. Army troops who made it happen. MVPA members will also take every opportunity to thank our veterans, past and present.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

You can contact the Military Vehicle Preservation Association by calling, 1-800-365-5798, e-mailing HQ@mvpa.org, find them on Facebook, “MVPA 2012 Alaska Highway Convoy” or contact Wendy Rowsam, Convoy Public Relations, by emailing: warowsam@centurytel.net

The MVPA (www.mvpa.org) is an organization with its mission “To provide an international organization for military vehicle enthusiasts, historians, preservationists and collectors interested in the acquisition, restoration, preservation, safe operation and public education of historic military transport.” They have more than 9,000 members globally and over 35 years as an organization. The MVPA is a registered US 501(c)(10) organization.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
*Military Vehicles Magazine
*Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles, 1942-2003

MORE RESOURCES FOR COLLECTORS
*Great Books, CDs & More
*Sign up for your FREE email newsletter
*Share your opinions in the Military Forum