The WWII Jeep Campaign in Stockton, California
Narrator: The Haggin Museum's archive is also home to countless other stories from the war, like the Jeep that became a legend.
Tod Ruhstaller: Willy The Jeep is almost iconic for the people of Stockton. The students and the people of Stockton had scrap metal drives, they bought bonds but Stockton put a unique spin to one of their efforts.
Narrator: And that spin was arguably the most incredible fundraising effort in all the war...And it was led by kids from Stockton High School.
Marian Jacobs: Most schools in the country I believe were urged to buy war bonds and war stamps to help the war effort. But our school in particular decided to use the money we raised to purchase jeeps.
Narrator: Willy was one of 275 Jeeps bought by the students at Stockton High.
In two years they raised nearly 250-thousand dollars more than 2.5 million in today's dollars.
Marian Jacobs: In the Guard and Tackle newspaper we put in a Jeep-O-Meter, and every week we published how many Jeeps had been purchased so it was kind of fun to watch from beginning to end.
Tod Ruhstaller: Each jeep the fleet of 275 that the students of Stockton High purchased was equipped with a small plaque on its dash.
Marian Jacobs: This Jeep is one of a fleet presented to the United States Army by the students and faculty of Stockton High School, Stockton California. Notice: please report periodically the fate of this Jeep and return plaque at the end of the war.
Tod Ruhstaller: Letters started coming back saying we have your jeep, jeep number 71, your jeep is a godsend and we really appreciate it.
Willy was allegedly captured by the Germans in Italy, recaptured by Allied Forces in Holland then it dropped from sight until it was found abandoned on a hillside near the Oklahoma-Texas border.
After learning of the discovery, Stockton middle school principal, Arch Brown introduced the story to businessmen Tom and Bob McKeegan who bought Willy and donated him to the city.
Marian Jacobs: So we had a huge celebration, all those students got together and were able to see Willy and get their pictures taken with Willy.
But Willy didn't come home with all his original parts in tact.
Tod Ruhstaller: The Willy we got in the 70s looked fine for all intents and purposes but the fact of the matter is it was an automotive Frankenstein it had parts from jeeps in the 1940's, 50's and 60's.
So during restoration to get Willy back to its original form antique auto experts discovered Willy wasn't really a Willy. The Overland Company produced Willy jeeps, but Ford made them as Welland turns out Willy was a Ford.
Willy was given an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army a first for an inanimate object and now sits proudly restored at the Haggin Museum as the only Stockton Jeep to have ever made it home.
Tod Ruhstaller: It's this personalization this link between the soldiers in the field and the home front that we feel so important that makes this wonderful very meaningful artifact here in the museum to the people of Stockton.
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