The Merrimack Valley Military Vehicle Collectors MVMVC.ORG

Steve & Jeanne Keith

Steve and Jeanne Keith

I always loved trucks. I still have the 2nd truck I ever bought, the 1946 Chevrolet dump truck that is now a flower planted in the driveway in Raymond! My first real military vehicle, my 1943 GMC CCKW cargo truck was purchased from a local fire department in 1980 for $525. It took many years to make it look like a real army truck. I had to find a cargo body for the rear and completely strip it and paint it OD.  

I met Peter Milinopoulos and Phil Waterman at an airshow at Pease in 1982. I started hanging around with them and joined the previous club, the New England Chapter (NEC) of the then MVCC.    My first rally was the last one in Oakham. I could not believe all the beautiful vehicles there!. My Jimmy still had a red painted cab, and I was determined to have it beautiful for the next rally in Sterling.

Somewhere along the line, I became newsletter editor for the NEC. This provided me with more contacts with people and brought me into the fold more quickly. Back then, if we went to a parade, I had the lone big truck

In 1986 when we founded the MVMVC, I became a founding member and the instant newsletter editor and Secretary. I have been Secretary, Director, or President in the club every year since the founding.

In addition to the club newlestter, I have written articles for Army Motors and for a year I produced GM Journal for owners of WW2 Chevrolet and GMC trucks.

As any of you long time collectors know, you can never have just one...My second MV was a 1.5 ton WW2 Chevrolet cargo truck that came home in the back of a Ryder rental truck. It is a long term project. In 1992, I
purchased my M151A2 jeep so I could really go 4-wheeling with the rest of the club.   The following year, the Bomb Truck was added. And so it has been for the past 10 years. A vehicle or two per year although 1999 was very bad: Two LeRoi air compressors and the CCKW that goes under one of them, the GPW,
and the crawler-crane.

As it now stands, I have the following in my fleet:
1942 GMC CCKW shop van
1943 GMC CCKW cargo truck with M32 machinge gun ring (this is my favorite)
1942 GMC CCKW 750 gallon aircraft refueling tanker
1942 GMC CCKW air compressor truck
1942 Chevrolet cargo truck
1944 Chevrolet Bomb Truck
1945 Chevrolet telephone truck with mechanical auger for drilling holes
1942 Ford GPW,      1978 AMG M151A2,        1944 Clark Airborne bulldozer
1945 International TD-9 crawler-crane
In addition, I have the Bomb trailer, two water buffalo's, and I store the 37mm AT gun.

Naturally, all these vehicles needed a home, so in 1996 I bought a 'kit' for a 42' by 60' barn. We had 4 barn raising parties. With a lot of help from my friends and Jeanne, it was built. Jeanne and I installed the last roof panel 2 days before Christmas 1996. Now we have the new building in Pembroke

I have a lot of wonderful friends in this club. I have learned a lot and hope that I have helped others. Jeanne and I live here in Pembroke and we try to work on the numerous projects together. I am slowly restoring the backlog of vehicles, many in parallel. Even if I never finish them all, I have saved them from the scrap heap for future generations to enjoy and learn from.   

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