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Operation Blue Santa Lakeway Radio Event Boy Scout Camporee Boy Scout Parade Texas Independence Day Parade Upcomming Events |
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This year, December 15th was delivery day for the Austin Police Department’s Blue Santa program, and LSMVPA was once again there to help. Blue Santa is a program where toys and frozen turkeys are donated to the Police Department by businesses and citizens in Austin. APD then oversees the distribution of these to provide a Christmas for thousands of our less fortunate families. Similar programs are conducted by other agencies all over the country. Early Saturday morning Jeff L. and Rory C. took Jeff’s M35A2 to one of the distribution points in Northeast Austin, where they met with a couple of Rory’s team members from work. The heavy rains of the last couple of days had threatened to disrupt the deliveries, but miraculously cleared off in the hour before we started. The day turned quite cold, but sunny. The deuce was quickly loaded to capacity with boxes, then driven to many homes in several neighborhoods and the deliveries were made. Once those deliveries were complete we returned to the distribution point for a reload, only to find that the entire tractor-trailer had already been emptied due to the large number of volunteers. There were however a deuce load of boxes that were undeliverable due to bad addresses or no one being home to accept them, so we loaded them up and took them down to the Blue Santa warehouse in south Austin. With the mission complete, everyone headed home. Our group’s efforts were just a part of what went on all over the city. Deliveries are made by just about every APD officer who is not on duty, firemen, business groups, military personnel, and hundreds of private citizens, most of whom bring their own personal vehicles. Quite a showing. 
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The Lonestar MVPA was requested by Jeff Hunt, director of the Texas Military Forces Museum to support a National Guard communications meeting at Lakeway resort on the 4th and 5th of December 2007. This was a National meeting with Michael Dell as a guest speaker. Three club members with radio equipment gathered various radios in their collections to support this event. This was not a Vehicle event however we did display in the lobby our Lonestar MVPA banner and our two photo boards. Although we were there at the request of the Museum we felt the Club should be recognized as we would not have radios if we were not Club members. Many people stopped to look at the photo boards. The 4th of December was set-up day at Lakeway, the three participants, Jeff H. , Glen V. and Madison H. showed up at 13:00 hrs and started unloading two pick-ups full of radios, field telephones, switchboards, back pack radios, antennas, handsets, headsets and speakers. Herb T. was unable to help on the set-up but we had his radios and Herb came on the 5th. During the set-up Guard personnel looked over our shoulders as we were setting up. They fielded many questions as we worked. Most of the younger guys had not even seen some of this gear. One Ft. Gordon trained GI said he’d only seen some of this stuff in the Ft. Gordon museum….. On the morning of December the 5th at 07:30 we manned our post in period uniforms. Jeff H. WW1, Glen V. WW2, Herb T also WW2 and Madison H. Viet Nam era. Most of the traffic at our tables was between classes…Many of the people had looked at the equipment during the set-up evening and had returned with questions. Lieutenant General Rodriguez visited with us and thanked the museum and us as individuals for supporting the Texas Guard. During the event club member Jeff M. came by to visit with us also. We shut down around 1600 hrs and re-loaded our radios in vehicles. Mr. Hunt thanked us and the Club for our support. |
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Over 500 Boy Scouts went to Wimberly this January to take part of the annual Longhorn District Boy Scout Camporee. On Saturday Danny K., Madison H., Fred H., and Rick H. assembled at the camp to display their vehicles. Danny and Madison brought their M37’s, Fred brought his CJ2A Navy jeep, and Rick brought his M38A1. In addition Madison brought some communications gear and Rick supplied a Bren Machinegun. The scouts were enthusiastically about all of the displays. |
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Yet another Report To State in the books as history now! I put the jeep batteries on the charger a few days before the parade just to make sure she'd start for this one. On a beautiful Saturday morning, I headed to downtown and made it to the TXDOT parking lot for our staging. There, I learned we wouldn't be having any big trucks in the group this year so we started to scramble on how we could carry everyone if we had a large turnout. Danny was there with his M37 as was Madison and his M37. Scott C showed up in his really nice M170 ambulance sans top, Fred in his Navy CJ, Toby with his MB/M100 combo, Ward and his slat-grill MB and my with the M38A1. Bill B also joined us in his Indian attire. When it was time to stage on the bridge everyone fired up their vehicles and started off. I hit the ignition switch, then the starter and all I heard was a "pfft" and some some smoke under the battery boxes. Argh. I figured I had blown a fuseable link somewhere in the wiring harness so I was out and now wondering how I was going to get my truck and trailer down to haul it back home. I hit the ignition switch and sure enough, no power to anything. Removing the battery box cover, I noticed the jumper between the two batteries had come loose and the "pfft" sound I heard was a high-amp arc between the coupler and the battery post. So much in fact that the lead post was melted and some slag ran down the post itself. I dug out my wrenches and undid the coupler, popped it back on the post and tightened it up. Next was hit the ignition and sure enough, all was good. Hit the starter and presto, she fired right up and I caught up to the group who had never even missed me! We staged on the Congress Ave. bridge and had a good time. The scouts we haul (Pack 395 out of Oak Hill) brought donuts and sausage wraps for us and another scout troop had a mobile canteen which was passing out coffee. What a great breakfast! While eating on the bridge, Jeff M arrived in his MB, and Claude V came meandering in. This is when I also noticed I picked up a screw somewhere. Being tube tires, I figured it was either going to leak or not and wanted to pull it out but everyone said to leave it alone. As scouts/parents were loading in the jeep I thought "oh no - the extra weight will push it in further". Alas, that didn't happen and it stayed up for the parade. The parade started about 9:15am or so and took it's time making the run up Congress Ave. Not a lot of spectators this year either. We made the turn at the Capitol and headed back to the TXDOT lot where everyone off-loaded and went their separate ways. When I got home, I pulled the screw and she held air with no leak. Overall, another Scout parade in the books. |
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The annual Texas Independence Day Parade has become one of our larger events. We had nine vehicles ranging from quarter-tons up through John’s M820. Texas is a unique state in that we celebrate our statehood every year. It's something we are fiercely proud of. The actual birthday was March 2nd, and the parade was held on the 1st of March this year. Around 9:00 everyone started to pull in including Scott S. with his M38A1, Danny K. and his M37 , Toby with his MB, Don L. with his 43 Willys, Glen with the CJ2a, Fred and his Navy jeep, John SS. and the huge M820, and Rory driving the Unimog. We staged on the Congress Ave bridge and mingled around. The weather was great.. Promptly at 10:30am, the parade started. We meandered up Congress Ave with a good number of spectators lining either side of the street. We continued up to the capitol, made the turn and headed South back to the bridge where everyone scattered. This year was an excellent turn-out . |
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