Military Vehicle Club set to hit the trail this spring
The Long Island Military Vehicle Club will bring their love of military apparatus to their latest trail ride Saturday. It is estimated that between 15 and 35 vehicles will participate this weekend by driving in a commemorative procession through a local farm.
The spring trail ride is one of the highlights of the club’s year and will take place at Lewin Farms, 1583 Sound Avenue, Wading River, on Saturday, May 17. The ride begins at 9 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. The club provides breakfast and lunch for participants, and all rides are free. The meeting place is by the big barn on the dirt farm road west of Lewin Farm Stand on the north side. There will be military vehicles and a large banner to indicate where the trail ride will start.
The club hosts other events throughout the year, from trail rides to veteran birthday parades, to displays at veterans’ hospitals and the restoration of military monuments. If they are welcome, they will be there, raising the profile of these unique machines while also supporting veterans.
The mission statement for the club states that they “further the historical significance and public recognition of military vehicles and associated items by their collection, restoration, their safe operation and display.”
Riverhead’s Jude Petroski, president of the club, stated that his enthusiasm for military vehicles began as a way to honor his father, who was a disabled WWll veteran.
“He was a Staff Sergeant in the 191st Tank Battalion, and he fought in the European theater. Most veterans don’t talk much about the war, but my Dad always told his war stories. That was his way of dealing with the horrors of war,” said Mr. Petroski.
A few years after his father passed away, Mr. Petroski decided to restore a Military Jeep in his honor. His vehicle of choice was a 1951 M38 Military Jeep. During the restoration, family members and friends who also served started giving him items to put in the Jeep.
“I marked my Jeep up as if it was part of my dad’s battalion,” said Mr. Petroski. While he was restoring the Jeep, he learned about the Long Island Military Vehicle Club and joined, first becoming the club’s activity chairman and then president.
Membership is open to all, whether they are restoring a military vehicle or just an enthusiast. As it says in the mission statement, “We are bound by a common thread, our love of antique military vehicles.” One member, Ed Amodio of Calverton, is a veteran but does not own a military vehicle yet. He became a member after one special ride in a military Jeep.
“I saw all these military vehicles in the parking lot at the Wading River diner. I stopped there to get coffee, and I was talking to them at all. this one guy was telling me [that] they were getting ready to perform a funeral for a World War II soldier who was missing for over 50 years, and they found his body between Russia and Germany,” said Mr. Amodio. “He said he could put me in a Jeep, and we would follow the procession. So the next day, that’s what I did. I got in the Jeep, and we followed the procession all the way up Wading River Road to 25 then past Grumman into the National Cemetery, and they had the services there. But it was really touching to be involved in that.”
Steve Barker, a Manorville resident, also took a ride in a military Jeep at a club event and was instantly hooked. Though not a veteran himself, he decided to do a Navy theme to honor his father and father-in-law.
“I said, ‘Wow, this is [something].’ So then [the club] found one, an old one, that was wrecked for me to restore. I started building and buying parts to make a civilian one,” said Mr. Barker. “My dad was Navy, and my father-in-law was Navy. I said, ‘You know what? I’ll do the Navy.’ So I bought a brand-new body. I spent a lot of money, but I built one. You don’t see that often. Everybody’s is green. Mine is not, it’s gray.”
Part of what sets the club apart from other vehicle clubs is the emphasis on giving back to veterans. Many of the activities the club participates in are focused on recognizing military service.
“There’s different clubs around, car clubs, Volkswagen clubs. This is a military club. When you have a vehicle, you like to promote it, you’re excited about it, and that’s what all of us do,” said Bob Gonzalez of Centereach. “But we use it for goodwill and how we can honor and bless people. You know, we’re proud of our country. We’re proud of the service that we did. We’re proud of our vehicles, and however we can promote it for goodwill.”
While many spectators and participants are engaged, the vehicles are particularly meaningful for the veterans. Mr. Petroski recounted a story where he invited a vet to a trail ride after the gentleman helped him get his Jeep unstuck.
“I said, ‘Listen, just come down if you want to come down. There we have breakfast, lunch and everything.’ And he came down, and he had tears in his eyes when we were done. He goes, ‘You know what? I didn’t really want to get out of bed this morning. I have so many memories and stuff. This is really awesome. I don’t know what to say,’” said Mr. Petroski. “[I said,] ‘You don’t have to say anything. I mean, we’re here for you guys. That’s what we’re here for. We do it for the veterans, you know, local heroes. That’s what you guys are.’”
For more information about the club, the trail ride, or other events, contact Jude Petroski at 631-774-3635.
