Happy Memorial Day! For many Americans, this long weekend unofficially kicks off the summer and provides a little break from the drudgeries of daily work life, which is nice. The Car Autance staff is taking a day off, too. Please also take a moment to remember, even abstractly, those who have died in the country’s service.
Cars: Willys U.S. Army Jeeps
Location: Military training station, England (June 15, 1943)
Photog: Unknown (Associated Press)
Camera: Unknown
The photo I found for our Picture Of The Day today has some somber energy, as befitting the holiday. Don’t worry, you’re not looking at corpses. The image is of a training exercise – the men you see there are simply demonstrating how wounded people might be transported efficiently (albeit uncomfortably) by small vehicles. It’s a pretty creative solution they’ve worked out, I have to admit I’ve never seen images of old Jeeps being used quite in this way before.
But the point I was trying to make by sharing this picture, rather than a JLTV blasting through the sand or a U.S. flag waving off the back of an MRAP, is that many folks in the military go through physical and emotional hardships the rest of us will hopefully never have to realize. And some make the ultimate sacrifice; dying in the line of duty. Memorial Day exists to honor those individuals.
If you’re lucky enough to have today off, enjoy it, and remember why you have it.
