For younger Americans, there’s probably not a full appreciation for Jeep’s contributions to our armed forces and military experience going back generations. Â As the video below outlines, Jeep first took our troops into battle in 1941 and has been a steady supporter of our initiatives and troops ever since.
I was unaware of this, but in 1943, the Marine Corps actually awarded a Purple Heart to a heroic Jeep® 4×4 vehicle named “Old Faithful†for meritorious valor and duty in combat during World War II.
Jeep is has continued their practice of honoring our nation’s heroes.  In mid-November, Jeep acted as a founding partner with Newsweek & The Daily Beast Hero Summit which took place in Washington, DC.  The premise was meant to highlight stories of sacrifice, heroism and physical courage under fire.  It was viewed as a resounding success.
As part of their outreach program, there are 5 primary organizations that Jeep endorses in helping to honor veterans:
- Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation (here)
- Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (here)
- The Mission Continues (here)
- Student Veterans of America (here)
- Team Rubicon (here)
$500 Bonus to Active Veterans
Jeep wants to get the word out on an active program for military and veteran discounts.  In celebration of Veterans Day, the Jeep® brand is offering a special limited time offer to all Reservists and Honorably Discharged Veterans (regardless of discharge date) from June 5, 2012 through January 2, 2013. This $500 bonus cash offer does not apply to the current military offer extended to active and honorably discharged veterans with 20 years of service. The two offers cannot be combined. This exclusive offer applies to 2012/2013 model year vehicle purchases and leases of All-New vehicles (excludes SRT® models, Viper, 2012 Chrysler 200 Sedan LX, 2012 Dodge Avenger SE, 2012 Dodge Journey AVP, 2013 Dodge Dart SE, FIAT® 500 Pop and FIAT® 500 Abarth).
More About Jeep’s Rich Military History:
I thought I’d share a bit more about the rich history that Jeep shares with our armed forces. Â Based on some research from both Jeep and wikipedia, the name Jeep itself is somewhat shrouded in mystery, but the most common theory is that it stood for GP (Government Purposes) which was then morphed into “Jeep” as one syllable. The first Willys MB Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle (SUV) brand. Willys-Overland and Ford, under the direction of Charles E. Sorensen (Vice-President of Ford during World War II), produced about 640,000 Jeeps towards the war effort, which accounted for approximately 18% of all the wheeled military vehicles built in the U.S. during the war. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, which Americans as you know, have come to know and love over the years. Â You can’t watch a military movie without seeing the classic Jeep model within. Â Jeep is currently part of the Chrysler group of automobiles.
This post is sponsored by Jeep
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I have very warm feelings for jeeps. I learned how to drive a jeep in MP school when I was in the army. At the time, it was used for convoy duty in Vietnam. I am grateful I never went to Vietnam though because there was a bounty on MP’s by the enemy and our own troops. MPs either had convoy duty, or police duty in Saigon or stockade duty. All jobs that were hated by the enemy and the troops. Instead I ended up teaching business classes at Ft. Levenworth (USDB). It was the prison!
Tough spot being hated by both the enemy and the troops! My dad served as a radio operator. Nothing too glamorous but he lived for years with nightmares and the war always affected him; he just never talked about it.