If you are standing along The Blvd Of The Allies or Grant Street this morning you might think the victorious troops are returning home from World War I. A convoy of historic military vehicles left Washington DC Saturday to retrace the path of the first cross-country motorized military convoy that left the same city in 1919. The trucks and their drivers camped out at the Westmorland Mall last night and will pass through Pittsburgh after rush hour this morning on their way to Ohio for a stop tonight. They plan to get to San Francisco July 8th. Convoy and Military Vehicle Preservation Association Director Terry Shelswell they will keep to the original path as closely as possible so that means spending a lot of time on Rt. 30 also known as the Lincoln Highway. Shelswell says about 45 vehicles hope to make the entire trip with another 155 dropping in for a few days here and there. In all it will take 21 days on the road and 5 rest days to make the transcontinental trip. Several World War I vintage trucks will be part of the convoy. Shelswell says the first convoy had 4 official objectives and one unwritten goal. The armed forces wanted to; Test the Vehicles in all terrains, Allow every branch of the military to evaluate the vehicles at the same time, Demonstrate the need for good roads, and Recruit new enlistees. The unwritten goal was to say thanks to the nation for their support of the war effort. Among those who made that first trip was Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower who was 29 at the time. That experience, and his firsthand experience moving convoys along the Autobahn during World War II lead President Eisenhower to launch the modern Interstate Highway System. While the roads have greatly improved in the last 90 years the vehicles have not. Shelswell says hey have a truck full of spare parts and some of the nations best vintage auto repairmen following the convoy. You can monitor the convoy’s progress at the Military Vehicle Preservation Association web site.
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