To All The Cars I’ve Loved Before | First Cars
Christian and Doug explore automotive nostalgia & personal car memories on our podcast— featuring true automotive stories and childhood car memories from everyday enthusiasts.
To All the Cars I’ve Loved Before shines a light on everyday enthusiasts, from father‑daughter/father-son duos and automotive brand launch managers to the restoration students and expert-level instructors at McPherson and Weber State Colleges. Real stories, real people, real passion—thats why our car podcast stands out from others.
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To All The Cars I’ve Loved Before | First Cars
War Stories on Wheels – “Jeep Show” Author Robert O’Connor on WWII Cars and Nostalgia
Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
In this episode, we shift gears into the past with author Robert O’Connor, whose novel “Jeep Show” blends WWII history with personal car memories. Robert discusses the real-life inspiration behind his book: the wartime USO entertainers who performed from Jeeps for troops at the front lines.
He connects these historic Jeep Shows to his own first car – a scrappy Fiat 128 – sharing how tinkering with that little European car gave him an appreciation for simplicity much like the wartime Jeep. As an Iraq War veteran, Robert also opens up about how working on a vintage Willys Jeep helped him cope with returning to civilian life, each turn of the wrench providing therapy and connection to his grandfather’s WWII stories. Listeners will enjoy rich car culture discussions as Robert and the hosts chat about how military vehicles influenced post-war automotive design and the enduring appeal of Jeeps in car enthusiast circles. Wrapping up, Robert highlights the charitable cause behind his work (proceeds of his book support veteran wellness programs.
This episode blends literary insight, heartfelt nostalgia, and automotive history, offering a unique perspective on how vehicles and storytelling can preserve the legacy of “the greatest generation” and inspire healing across generations of car lovers.
Bob's favorite episode is "From Humvee to Home – Conrad’s Patriotic Car Journey and Family Driving Memories" - https://pod.link/1733902541/episode/14e35670c2a8268fa17865087a9c69af
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Welcome back to the podcast that runs on most of its cylinders, roughly half the time, to all the cars I've loved before, your authoritative podcast on automotive nostalgia, where every car tells a story and every car has a culture. You know what time it is. It's time to plug in, dust off and get a little grease under the fingernails and slip on that favorite car themed shirt. I think all doug owns is car themed t-shirt, much to the chagrin of the people around him. You at least wash them right yep it is.
Speaker 2:It is ending up being a big part of my wardrobe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, hey, we got to feed the beast, okay. So what is on the shirt? I see some sort of wrench, plus get, get wrenching. What does it say? So?
Speaker 2:this is.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:From our wonderful father-daughter episode yes, which we depending on. When you hear this, uh, it may or may not be out in its entirety, but certainly there are clips on uh youtube and elsewhere with caroline and james uh it was so good those productions. So huge fan, wonderful, got some. Uh bought some merch from them. They threw in some uh, some stickers and some other things. So Caroline and James HH Wheels on YouTube.
Speaker 1:Great show, a lot of fun, very high production values, wildly entertaining, wonderful people and very funny. I would like to welcome back. Wait, what about your shirt? What about my shirt? Oh yes, we're not quite ready to introduce the man of the hour, but it will make sense. Here I'm wearing a US Army t-shirt for a couple of reasons. Let me enter or say hello to listeners over the past five days in the United States and around the world. We'll talk a little bit about this shirt, ask you how our guests came into your life and chat a little bit about today's trivia question as well as my choice of shirts.
Speaker 1:So welcome back to those listening over the past week here, ashburn, virginia, not far from Washington DC, where Doug's about an hour or so from that and I lived right outside of the Beltway for years and years. Culver City, california, wichita, kansas, denver and, north of the border, quebec. So that's a good segue. As we mentioned, we are heard around the world. Welcome back to listeners in France, italy we had a few downloads in the Russian Federation, as well as Sweden. Israel is back on the map and our listeners in Bangladesh. So Bangladesh, I think, was interestingly one of the first places where we were heard internationally. So again, welcome back If you would like to learn more about us. Carslovedcom C-A-R-S lovedcom. Doug is Doug at carslovedcom. I'm Christian at carslovedcom. Doug is Doug at Carslovedcom. I'm Christian at Carslovedcom, so the shirt I'm wearing here is a tribute to, firstly, my son, who was he in season three, season two or three, I just can't remember.
Speaker 2:We're pumping these out, I think season three.
Speaker 1:I believe, yeah, season three. I want to say midway through the season, correct. And so he's in the Army Reserve as well as going to college right now. And we were texting a little bit before the show and I told him hey, we're having a special guest on tonight who is a writer, who wrote this book that I'm holding up. It is called Jeep Show, a Novel, a Trooper at the Battle of the Bulge, and it's Robert B O'Connor who's our special guest today. But, doug, before we hear from the man himself, how did Bob come into your?
Speaker 2:life. Yeah well, bob came into our collective lives as his book came out I want to say the end of last year, but we'll confirm that with Bob and his assistant reached out, saw and heard about our podcast and thought he'd be a great fit. Bob and I talked on Zoom for a little bit and I agreed 100 percent and you know, so excited he's actually what our second author right. But our first author's got like a vehicle in the title right. I think Brian was our first author content a lot of creative people.
Speaker 1:So before we hear Bob's voice, I'm going to throw this out there Quiz question for the day what was a post-World War II surplus vehicle that came in a box? And I don't mean an Amazon box people, I mean a big crate. This huge thing would show up. What was it, bob?
Speaker 3:Jeep Willie.
Speaker 1:That's right. Welcome to the show. Listen to that voice. We're so proud to have you here. Thank you for being our guest today and making a little bit of time.
Speaker 3:I'm so pleased to talk with you guys and your listeners, so pleased.
Speaker 1:Amen, thank you. So, doug, I know you want to get into the some of the questions with with Bob here, but when Doug sent me this book and I don't know how exactly you guys came into contact. But doug sent this to me and said you gotta read this book, I'm gonna hold it up and we'll kind of probably snippet this and put this on youtube. And we actually read a lot for this show and I read constantly anyways, and I picked it up. And when did you send this to me, doug? Like maybe a month or so ago?
Speaker 2:About a month ago. Yeah, I got a lot going on. Bob sent it to me, I read it. I sent it to you.
Speaker 1:So this book has been loved on a little bit people.
Speaker 1:And I got it and I thought oh wait a minute, we have this guy on in a few weeks. I'm always juggling a few books. Let me tell you something. When this book sets the hook, it is a page turner and it happens pretty quickly. And I just mowed through it. I thought it was wonderful and I've been so excited to have Bob on the show. So let's start there. Bob, how did you get the idea for Jeep Show and this is available on Amazon or bookshoporg. Bob will tell you more. But how did you get the idea for this book?
Speaker 3:Christian. I was researching a book about the American circus a nonfiction book and I learned about a circus promoter named Jim Hetzer. Promoted Circus Prone in the 50s and 60s. I called his daughter to learn more about him. Jim is gone, I'm afraid, and she told me about his career as a circus promoter and told me about the circus. And then she said by the way, you probably don't know, but my dad was an enlisted entertainer in World War II military occupation, specialty 442. And I said, no, I didn't even know that there were MOS 442s, enlisted entertainers. And she said, yes, not only that, but he did Jeep shows, which were shows done at the front lines for combat infantry, and his Jeep show squad leader was Mickey Rooney. May be my age and know who Mickey Rooney was, but for your younger listeners, or even your middle-aged listeners probably, I should just say that Mickey Rooney was the number one worldwide box office star of 1939. He was a giant moneymaker for MGM Studios.
Speaker 3:And so she told me this and I said, oh, my goodness. And she said by the way, my older my, my aunt Mabel, his older sister, saved every letter he wrote home from training camp and from the European Theater of Operations. So I saw I was like, oh my goodness, primary sources. And I said, well, can I come down to Dallas and read those letters? You know, I'll put on archival gloves and a mask. She said, oh, don't worry, we publish them in a book. Oh, wow, and it's. It's on Amazon and basically got the story of this one soldier's actual experience as an MOS-442, an enlisted entertainer.
Speaker 3:I decided to make it fiction because I wanted to involve the character in the Battle of the Bulge, which was, as many of your listeners may know, which the Battle of the Bulge fought in late 1944, early 1945, in and around Belgium and Luxembourg and the German border, was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army and was a pivotal, pivotal battle in the end of World War II. So that's how I stumbled upon it. It was too good a story to ignore, too good a story to ignore, so I abandoned my circus book and wrote Jeep Show instead. I can add Christian and Doug.
Speaker 3:I have since talked to many, many World War II historians, men and women who make their living studying World War II, and I've talked to many, many, many World War II buffs, and none of them have ever heard of the enlisted entertainers. And you know, as we've talked about, mickey Rooney was already famous when he became an MOS442. But some of the other names will surprise you. These were at the time. They were in the Army. You know 20, 21-year-old men with some talent, but Mel Brooks was an MOS442.
Speaker 1:Oh, I read about that, yeah, in his autobiography.
Speaker 3:Ah yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I read his autobiography a couple of years ago. I was surprised. I didn't know that I didn't?
Speaker 3:I haven't read that. I'm so glad to hear that. That is phenomenal. Yeah, sammy Davis Jr was a MOS four, four, two Burt Lancaster, dick Van Dyke and and many, many others. So it was an Van Dyke and many, many others. So it was an. It was an unusual combination of talents. There were, you know, about 100 of these soldiers doing this job, but several of them went on to be stars.
Speaker 1:Now, how did they let it? One of the things how did Mickey Rooney get that close to the front line? So when you say entertainment, I think USO big shows in green zones. Jeep shows very different story, as close to the front as they could possibly be. How did how did that happen? How did they allow that?
Speaker 3:Well, well, two things. One I will just talk about one thing I admire about Mickey Rooney. By late 1943, he was under some pressure to enlist, as all the young men his age were. He could have honorably served at Hal Roach Studios, 10 minutes from his house in Hollywood, making films for the Signal Corps, and Lieutenant Ronald Reagan served honorably there. He wanted to go whole hog, he wanted to get far away from Hollywood. He was living a dissolute and wild personal life there and so he he joined the morale corps and you know, once you're yes, he was a star and he did get special treatment, but once you're in the army you are under orders did get special treatment, but once you're in the army you are under orders.
Speaker 3:So this morale corps came over to Europe thinking they were going to be doing a fairly large show.
Speaker 3:It was called Hip Hooray, it had army actors and it had the army soldiers in the band and they thought they were going to be, you know, put in Paris after Paris was liberated and be doing this show.
Speaker 3:But the American army in this, after the breakout of Normandy in the summer of 1944, moved so fast across France and right up to the German border that the frontline combat soldiers were not getting any entertainment or any morale boosting thing. A very successful Broadway director, joshua Logan, who was a captain in the morale corps, was in the army came up with the idea of putting three of these entertainment soldiers in a jeep with a driver driving them to just behind the front lines, where these combat soldiers would be back for a hot meal, maybe a uniform exchange, um and put, and having these three soldiers put on what essentially was a small vaudeville show. You know they would. One of them would usually play an instrument in the book that that is Wes, and he plays an accordion. They would do, they tell jokes, they do impressions, they'd sing and dance and they would always, always, pull a soldier out of the audience and have him you know his buddies.
Speaker 3:They'd ask his buddies yeah, jimmy, you know he does a great Edward G Robinson impression or he's a great singer and they would always pull a guy out of the audience and have him perform for his buddies. So that's how Mickey Rooney got within sniper and artillery range and you know, I have no indication he ever tried to quit that or get out of it. I'm full of admiration. Of course, his private life in Hollywood was so wild that this probably just seemed like just another risk yeah, just another chapter.
Speaker 1:And if you can imagine and you allude to it in the book, I think you call it out explicitly. But for those who may not know, mickey Rooney was could sing Like the greatest popular singers, could tell a joke like the greatest popular comedians. He could act, he could. He was a triple, quadruple, quintuple threat. He could do it all Dance. Yeah, I mean, this guy could do it all. And to your point, I like what you have here. The book is interspersed with quotes. What you have here, the book is interspersed with quotes, and the one right after the author's note here, which effectively serves as the introduction, is morale is to the material, is three is to one. That's by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the reason for that is you're given the and you do a great job during the book of just how miserable it is at the front. You're cold, your feet are wet, you can't dry out, you can't warm up, you're either bored or terrified.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, Absolutely. And you mentioned the letters, and the letters are interspersed here throughout the book and I just want to read something real quick here. This is from the author's forward here At some point I learned that one of Jim Hetzer's daughters had published a collection of his letters home Mabel's letters. The book gave me so many ideas I decided to write a novel, and that was a cheap show.
Speaker 3:That was a cheap show. I also got ideas from the autobiographical Unsung Valor GI's Story of World War II by A Cleland Harrison, which is one of the people the book is dedicated to, and you say I'm full of admiration for both men. So how closely are the letters embedded in the book what you read at her house? I used them as inspiration. I certainly was able to, you know. I'll give you an example. There was a letter about the troop ship over to Europe and how uncomfortable it was, and so.
Speaker 3:I wrote a chapter in the book and put the main character, the protagonist, on the Queen Mary. Main character, the protagonist, on the Queen Mary, which was used as a. It was a luxury liner, the largest, fastest ship in the ocean and they, during the war it became a troop ship, went from carrying 2000 passengers in luxury to carrying 16,000 GIs in not luxury and, interestingly, my father went over to the war in Europe on the Queen Mary. So really writing that chapter really made me feel closer to my dad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and OK, so that makes sense. And so you have it dedicated to Jim Hetzer. Yeah, cleveland Harrison, the fellow we were just talking about, but also there are two o'connors there's robert e o'connor, there's george o'connor. Yeah, uh, one us army, one us navy. So you know hence why I'm wearing the t-shirt here. But, yeah, okay, so who was robert?
Speaker 3:my dad was robert, robert e o'connor, and then my uncle, george, his younger brother, who joined the Navy at age 17, fought in the Pacific, fought in the Pacific. So, yeah, they both those men, of course, meant a lot to me and mean a lot to me, so I included them with the, the two men that inspired the book Love it.
Speaker 1:Love it. Well, we're going to let's, I'm going to toss it over to here, here to Doug, and we're going to have you climb into the climb into a bit of a time machine, go back in your mind to the first car you owned and tell us what it was and a little bit about it.
Speaker 3:Doug, do you want me to take it from there? Yeah, yeah, please. The. The first car I owned was a Fiat. What was my model number?
Speaker 1:It was a 128, I thought.
Speaker 3:A Fiat 128, which was essentially an economy car, and I bought it off a old friend of mine who lived in Vermont and drove it back to Cincinnati and quickly became acquainted with the constant electrical problems that this model had by the smell of burning but it's really the plastic coating on wires burning. But it got me there and I had that car for about a year and then, unfortunately, I was driving 20 miles an hour completely sober on a road that really required driving 10 miles an hour and I hit a tree and totaled it Darn it.
Speaker 1:They were tiny, weren't they? They were really small.
Speaker 3:I mean, it wasn't like the those miniature cars we see now.
Speaker 3:I mean it was a you know it was. I think you could fit four people in it, but but it was relatively small and in fact one of my memories of it was I took it to a very good Italian-American mechanic, shadetree. He did work in his own yard on the weekends and the first thing he did was take an old spark plug and stick it in the hose that went from the catalytic converter and it increased the acceleration dramatically. I'm not recommending that and I think the statute of limitations is over, but that's one of the things I remember.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and just I was looking at that car, so was it? If you recall? Was it a sedan or a?
Speaker 3:coupe. So was it, if you recall? Was it a sedan or a coupe? It was a sedan, it was a sedan. And in fact, coming back to Cincinnati on an airplane, I met my bosses. I worked at Procter Gamble, a very honorable company, and I met my boss's boss's boss on the airplane back and he asked me if I would give him a ride home from the airport and of course I said yes, but as we were halfway there, I had to explain to him what that smell was.
Speaker 1:Yes, it's not my burning wire, cologne, sir.
Speaker 2:I have bathed recently.
Speaker 1:It's really the car.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know that could have been a need for a promotion. He calls your boss, ultimately brings it. We got to get this guy's great yeah.
Speaker 1:We can't have this guy driving around in this Right Right.
Speaker 2:Move him up to an alpha or something.
Speaker 1:Well, something worked.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so this is one of our newer questions which I love asking people and you have one of the greatest answers in our preamble. Was there a song, a tape, a CD radio station that comes to mind when you think about that Fiat, that yellow 1973 Fiat 128 sedan?
Speaker 3:128 sedan. Yes, as I said, I bought it off a friend in New England and drove it back to Cincinnati. Along with the car, I think he gave me a couple of cans of 10W40 motor oil and a tape, a cassette tape. This is in, you know, 1979, a cassette tape of Linda Ronstadt's greatest hits. It was the only tape I had. So I listened to Linda Ronstad's greatest hits about 22 times on the way back and I tell you what talk about geniuses. Linda Ronstad doesn't get old.
Speaker 1:Oh, voice of an Angel, yes, voice of an Angel so talented.
Speaker 3:So talented, yeah, and a fine person as well, very cultured and very humble.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and those, yeah, those were the days where you couldn't find a radio station, especially if you're moving between states, because you're driving yes, what do you do? And probably even had to flip that tape over.
Speaker 3:Oh, yes, of course, of course had to flip that tape over?
Speaker 2:oh yes, of course of course, yep, so, and that's a linda ronstadt, right, you probably needed a break from her after that for a while.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I took a couple of years off, but that's all it took. Yeah, that's all it took, and it's still a good memory because you're.
Speaker 2:You're smiling about it and laughing, oh, absolutely so. So we mentioned the reliability of the Fiat and unfortunately, it was destroyed due to an accident.
Speaker 3:You were saved.
Speaker 2:But what was the replacement car for the?
Speaker 3:Fiat and was. You know, you know I'm, I'm and I, I. I didn't tell you this before so that you'd let me onto the show, but and, and I have found the show to be, you know, obviously I listened to several episodes and found that it would be very interesting, but I would have said before very interesting, but I would have said before I'm a point A to point B guy, not a car guy, although that is changing a little bit now that you've made me think about things. So I found the Volkswagen Jetta. It was a two-door sedan, probably a 1982 model. I found it to be very satisfactory.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and that's where they were. And just looking that generation, yeah, it was the first generation of the Jetta.
Speaker 3:Yeah, had a nice shape, don't you think?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I actually do like it the sedan and the coupe and introduced in 1979 at the frankfurt auto show. So uh and uh built at the wolfsburg plant in germany. So yeah, really, really neat car and uh, good for the time. Uh, stick shift as well, stick shift course.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there's a good story there, or I think you're just a stick shift guy going all the way forward, including your current car, yes, in 2004.
Speaker 3:Oh, the second car that I totaled and walked away from was a 1995 Crown Vic Interceptor, and maybe some of your listeners have bought a secondhand police car and was really, really liked that car and was hit by a fellow who fell asleep on the way home from his job baking Wonder Bread through the night. So that car was totaled and I can't remember why, but I went and bought a brand new car, which was kind of, you know, a part hard to do, but maybe because I'd just been in an accident, I don't know. And I bought a 2000 in 2004,. I bought a Honda Accord four door, five speed manual and I told myself when I bought it you know I will drive this car, for it says I'm buying a new car and you know I'll drive this car for 20 years and and then you know I'll I'll sell it if it's still around, and the 20 years passed last August and I'm keeping it.
Speaker 3:I love that car and and and you know it has paid for itself several times over it's also fun to drive. You know it's smooth and it's got some pickup, especially when you downshift it's got some really nice pickup. And, as I was telling Christian, you'd think. With the mileage on it. I only drive to church once a week, but you know I worked out of a home office for a while and that so it's only got one hundred and fifty thousand miles on it. So I'm expecting at least another 10 years, if, if, I can find tires for it.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, just just make sure you keep it clean and waxed in your new climate where you're living in the Midwest Big change with salt.
Speaker 3:Aha, yes, because Memphis, tennessee, where I lived until three weeks ago, not only do we not have salt on the roads, we do not have trucks that come out and plow the roads. So once every I don't know two and a half years, when it snows, just everybody just stops for three days.
Speaker 2:yeah, that's uh yeah, christian, christian got snow for the first time in forever and it was a record snow in pensacola. Oh my god, yeah, I live in the panhandle of.
Speaker 1:yeah, we didn't get into that with bob, but I live in the panhandle of Florida, doug lives in the mid-Atlantic. I lived in the DC area for 20 years, which is how we met Down here in Pensacola. That thing happened. We broke a record that it stood since 1895 or something, and it was actually. The snowfall was perfect because it started snowing the second half of the day. Everybody went home, stayed home. I mean, we're talking a lot of people here.
Speaker 1:a lot of kids had never seen snow in their lives, but it was perfect. It snowed for a day, it stopped. Everybody made their snowmen.
Speaker 1:And then it just started and then the temperature just zoomed right back up and it was gone. And, like you're saying, if it snows not that often there's no reason to pay for a fleet of trucks with their fleet of salt spreaders with your mouths and tons of salt Exactly idling. So just shut everything down. But Doug is right. Um, I bought a car recently from. I shouldn't get into this story.
Speaker 1:All right, let's just send it back to doug I won't I won't even open a painful can of worms, okay no, it's, it's, it's a good story.
Speaker 2:So, uh, yeah, you know. Um, just thinking back about the crown vic and on one of our previous episodes with James McRae, my friend from high school, he had a Chevy Caprice and it could have doubled as a police car and he wears Stetson, as I recall. I think he had the big intent on the back and he got through some speed traps back in the day.
Speaker 3:I will say that this was a white Crown Vic, so an unmarked car, but it did have searchlights on the front and if I pulled into a 7-Eleven, the parking lot of the 7-Eleven would empty within about two minutes.
Speaker 1:And also did you notice that when you were driving? On an interstate everybody runs up on you going and immediately settles down to 60?.
Speaker 3:I forgot. That is absolutely right. Right, and I did get stopped a couple of times by real police who wanted to make sure that I didn't have a light. You know that I wasn't. Didn't have some light under the uh because, um, apparently you know, some bad people will.
Speaker 2:Yes, do that, impersonating an officer, yeah yeah and uh.
Speaker 3:Then after they figured that out, then they would marvel at the giant size of this crowd. I think it was a 95 and it was about a block long. Yeah, yeah, but it's tiny.
Speaker 1:Growing up my buddies. Good friend God, I'd forgotten about this until you mentioned it. Maybe it was a Caprice or a Marquis, something similarly land yachtish. And when you drove in that thing. It was like being in an airplane like a little bit of turbulence, but this smooth suspension going down.
Speaker 2:Go ahead, Doug. Very smooth, designed in the late 70s, early 80s. Very smooth designed in the late 70s, early 80s and they used those body-on-frame vehicles forever. They made so much. You know, designed in the Reagan era for sure. How long did you have that Crown Vic for before the unfortunate accident?
Speaker 3:I had it for about nine months before it was totaled. The guy that hit me went to the hospital. Um, he did not look like he was going to die but he was staggering around and bleeding and, um, I just stepped out of the. I had never been hit in the chest by an airbag before. So that is kind of a uh, you know it gets your attention. You're a little bit. You know you're a little bit shocked. But basically I got out and walked over to the guy's car to see what's going on and when the ambulance came for the guy, the ambulance guy looked at my car and said, yeah, I understand why you walked away.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a wonder he wasn't hurt worse.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but there you are. Well, he kind of glanced. He hit me over the right headlight. He didn't hit me right in the center of my giant motor. You know, he glanced, he hit me over the right headlight. So I think that's what saved him, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. Oh yeah, Before we go much further. Doug always likes to ask people about their dream car.
Speaker 3:always likes to ask people about their dream car. So what would your dream car be? What would you love to have? Yeah, 1940, I think it's a 43 Jeep.
Speaker 3:Willie, using the Willey's plans, made 650,000 Jeeps during World War II For your listeners in the Russian Federation. About 200,000 of them were sent to Russia as part of what was called lend-ase. Really, where we were before the war. We were supplying the Brits and the Russians with much needed war material and the Jeeps became quite a favorite with the Russians. And so, yeah, my dream car would be a fully restored 1942 Jeep Willie. And what I would do, doug is I would. I would also look for an appropriate trailer. There was a trailer that was made to fit that Jeep and I would fill it with books, with my book, and I would go cross country, oh wow, stopping at bookstores, and I don't want to only call them, like the day before. So I'd be leaving Portland, maine, and I, you know, I'd call, you know I'd call somewhere in New Hampshire and I'd say I can be at your store tomorrow. Get on the phone, you know, and drive across country, and you know, do that. So, jeep 1942 model Jeep.
Speaker 2:Willie, well, you know there's always one for sale, and I'm just thinking about our listeners. So our listeners go to jeepshowbookcom if you want to find Bob. Bob might be interested in your Jeep, yeah absolutely. He's going to give it a good home and it's going to live on full of books.
Speaker 3:Yes, and probably be part. I make presentations to veterans groups about these enlisted entertainers and you know I could drive the Jeep into some of these auditoriums, yeah.
Speaker 1:So yes. So I'd put it to work programs, uh, yeah, so, yes, yeah, so I put it to, I put it to work. And what a perfect segue, because it was we wanted to ask you about important causes to you. Yeah, so I know you just tipped it a little bit, but there's actually, uh, you're donating, uh, some money per book sale. Yeah, to shield and stripes. Please tell us a little bit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's an organization a very estimable organization called Shield and Stripes and they help veterans and first responders and, of course, as you well know, many, many first responders are also veterans. They help veterans and first responders with mental health and physical health and counseling in a very intensive program. And I met these guys and was so impressed that I wanted to support them. And you know, given that the book is about the Army, I just felt that that was an appropriate thing to do. I will tell you. I told them I will donate a dollar per copy sold to Shields and Stripes. I said I would donate all the profits from the sale of the book, but a dollar per copy is way, way, way more. All right, All right. So Shields and Stripes, All right, All right. So Shields and Stripes, I'm proud to be helping them in my small way, and you know in my opinion and, of course, thinking of your son, christian you know, we cannot do enough for our veterans.
Speaker 3:We cannot do enough for our veterans and I wanted to do something.
Speaker 1:Lovely. Thank you for that. That is perfect, and let's just call that out Shieldsandstripesorg. Again, shieldsandstripesorg. That's the organization that Bob mentioned just now. So yeah, as we ramp down here and guide the podcast gently, I have go ahead I have one more, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Um, we can't let bob off the show without asking him what his follow-up to the jeep show is going to be. Um, well, your list he can share.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm. I know I'm happy to. I'm working on a sequel. I don't know what motor vehicle will be the center of attention, perhaps, perhaps the protagonist. You've given me an idea. Perhaps the protagonist gets a Jeep, willie, or one of the ones that Ford built as a surplus purchase in 1947 because they were sold to the general public for about $1,000 after the war. There were many extras, so it may be Jeep-centric, but I do want to send the protagonist to college on the GI Bill. Love that Several million, about 6 million GIs went to college. On the GI Bill. Who would like my dad, who would not have gone to college without the GI Bill? So I want to explore that. In the meantime, the protagonist's wife, who is a much more talented entertainer than he is, will be working in New York. So I've started the sequel. Thanks for asking, doug.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, they you know, is it fair to call your book?
Speaker 3:historical fiction.
Speaker 2:Well, they lovely you know, is it fair to call your book historical fiction?
Speaker 3:It is not only fair, it is completely accurate.
Speaker 2:Yep, I, I could not get enough of that book. Just the amount of detail and just what, of what was going on in France and what they were seeing and you know, unfortunately, unfortunately coming across some really just horrific scenes. Right, but the detail was so well done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I, like you, mentioned the troop ship of their trip on the way over. You have a gift for describing things. I felt like I was right there in the home. I felt like I was on the deck. And then when they, when they went over this book, just kind of I wasn't expecting it, it became this. I was locked in, man, it was a page turner. I couldn't get enough and I just mowed through it. So hey, go ahead. I wanted to. You know one reason I made it fiction is. I, you know.
Speaker 3:I wanted to. You know, one reason I made it fiction is I. You know there is brilliant nonfiction books about all aspects of World War II. I wanted to reach some people who, likes you know who need a story. You know who. And so in this story which I, as you can tell, I dramatically over-researched but that gave me a wealth of details to choose from, you know, someone who is not going to read a nonfiction about what it was like to be in the army and fight in Europe in World War II will come away with some understanding of what that was like.
Speaker 1:Right right right, I love that. Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 2:I've heard that every Jeep tells a story as well. There you go, there you go.
Speaker 1:New book. Hey, I have another book idea for you, and this one's free, Bob. Ok, here's a little historical fiction for you. Two lifelong buffoonish friends start a podcast about cars. Ok, you think you can take that prompt from there.
Speaker 3:I have no idea who we're talking about Christian. I can tell you that will never sell.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, the perfect punchline. We can't end it any better than that. Thank you for the perfect end. He is Robert B O'Connor. The book I'm holding it up is Jeep Show. You have to get it, paige Turner. This is at the confluence of so many wonderful things History, supporting our troops, soldiers, cars, interesting people, but terrible podcast hosts.
Speaker 3:Thank you, bob, for being part of the show. Total trip man.
Speaker 1:I've been looking forward to meet you for some time this was a real treat for me and thank you for making the time.
Speaker 3:You're very gracious with me and of course, I was kidding. It's a very interesting podcast. I like it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, If we could just get rid of Doug we might have something. Just kidding, you have heard the high-revving, low-mileage, late-model heard world authoritative podcast on automotive nostalgia. He is Doug. Reaching at Doug at CarsLovecom. I am Christian. Reachme at Christian at CarsLovecom. We're going to hold up the book one last time. You know, if you look closely here, I know when I've enjoyed a book, because I dog hear the heck out of it. If there's a wonderful description, a great turn of phrase, a quote that I can't get out of my mind or something particularly memorable, I dog ear it and I don't know if the camera's going to pick this up. It is Just dozens of dog ears in this. He is Robert B O'Connor. The book is Jeep Show. So hey, please follow and tell a friend if you've liked what you heard. It helps us grow. Check out our link tree, linktree, slash carslovecom. We like to think of it as our digital switchboard. I'm sure we'll see you at the next level Car show, showroom, race trip, concourse. Thank you.
