VA Military Memories Competition
SMSgt Kim Swearingen, U.S. Air Force (1969-1995)
What Favorite Automobile Did You Own During Your Military Service? What Special Memories Does This Bring Back For You?:
I was stationed overseas in Turkey in 1970-1971. A lot of things had changed when I made it back home on leave before shipping out to Viet Nam anti-war music, more hippies, bell-bottom jeans, and cars. The Dodges and Plymouths in particular, were spectacular sleek bodies, high-impact colors, and street-scorching big-block engines. A far cry from what I had gotten used to in Turkey mostly 50 s era American cars, big smoke-belching trucks, and Volkswagens that a lot of the NCO s on base had shipped over.
SSG Victoria Ryan, U.S. Army (1973-1988)
What Favorite Automobile Did You Own During Your Military Service? What Special Memories Does This Bring Back For You?:
I arrived at my first duty station, Fort Dix, NY in spring 1974. My sister was a military police (MP) officer at West Point by then and engaged to be married. To alleviate becoming a two-car couple, my sister offered me her vehicle, a 1972 yellow Ford Pinto. I was ecstatic, because now I had wheels and could get around.
SSgt Gene Gausman, U.S. Marine Corps (1953-1963)
What Favorite Automobile Did You Own During Your Military Service? What Special Memories Does This Bring Back For You?:
The favorite car that I owned in the Marine Corps was a 1957 Mercury 4 door hardtop that I bought in November of 1959 after returning from a tour in the Far East. I owned it some nine years, total, and even after I left the Corps, courted my wife, and was married. That car and I traveled about half the states together, and I towed a boat through probably 20 states.
2LT Joshua Gorczyca, U.S. Army (2017-2022)
What Favorite Automobile Did You Own During Your Military Service? What Special Memories Does This Bring Back For You?:
The favorite car that I owned in the Marine Corps was a 1957 Mercury 4 door hardtop that I bought in November of 1959 after returning from a tour in the Far East. I owned it some nine years, total, and even after I left the Corps, courted my wife, and was married. That car and I traveled about half the states together, and I towed a boat through probably 20 states.
LCDR David W.. Hodge, U.S. Navy (1981-2011)
What Favorite Automobile Did You Own During Your Military Service? What Special Memories Does This Bring Back For You?:
My favorite car while in the Navy was a 1965 Ford Mustang. Mine wasn t the classic muscle-car version you imagine though. It was clean, however, as I had spent the eight months of my delayed entry into the Navy restoring it. I repainted the car the original Wimbledon White and kept it stock except for my Cragar mags. Under the hood, I had the small but rugged 200 cubic inch six, with a three-speed manual. The Mustang drove like a dream and would go 70 mph all day long, getting 30 miles to the gallon.
CPT Ellen Brabo, U.S. Army (2015-2020)
What Favorite Automobile Did You Own During Your Military Service? What Special Memories Does This Bring Back For You?:
During my military service in Germany from 2017 to 2020, I was the proud owner of a BMW X1 Sport, a sleek white beauty with red and black interior that I affectionately named Betty the Beamer, after the legendary Betty White. Betty wasn t just a car; she was my trusted companion on countless adventures and a vessel of unforgettable memories.