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It all began in March of 2007 when an ad was posted on our website for a 1948 Jeep Willys that was for sale by the original owner.  As soon as we read the ad we knew that we had to have it.  Although the Jeep itself is rare and unique, it was more about the history of the Jeep and its owner that intrigued us.  Colonel Nick Fallier, the 85 year old original owner of the Willys was a decorated Fighter Pilot in World War II and he bought the Jeep new in 1948 when he returned from his overseas tour of duty.  He had cherished the Jeep for over 59 years and it was even a regular on the old television series "Gentle Ben".  Since nobody was driving the Jeep anymore the decision was made to sell it.

We immediately bought the Jeep and booked our flights to Florida to pick it up.  At that point our plan was simply to spend some time with Nick and then drive the old Jeep back to Arizona and call it a day.  We thought that the 2,200 mile trip in an old Jeep would be a cool way to spend a few weeks and see some great sights along the way.  Once we got going it didn't take long to realize that we had made a huge mistake by limiting ourselves to only a 2,200 mile trip...we were having way too much fun to end the trip in Arizona.  It was soon decided that we should drive our 48' Jeep through all 48 States and do it in honor of the war veterans that spent countless hours and miles in similar Jeeps, but in brutal conditions.  We anticipate the entire journey to be in excess of 18,000 miles and we will be doing it over a 4-5 year period starting in May 2007.  We will end the trip back where we started in Tallahassee Florida so we can spend a few more days with Colonel Nick.  There will be no short-cuts on this trip.  The shortest route to go through all 48 states is approximately 9,000 miles.  Considering the fact that our Jeeps average speed is only 30 mph we are forced to stay off of the Interstates and stick to the back roads the whole way.  Because of this we are estimating our total mileage to be between 18,000 and 20,000 miles which should equate to 628 hours of driving.  Go here to check out our forecasted statistics.

Other than having the adventure of a lifetime in one of the coolest vehicles ever created, we are using this trip as a means to promote and support some of the charities and foundations that we are passionate about.  With our JeepBrokers.com website getting over 1,000,000 visitors per month and our aggressive promotion of this trip, it is a great vehicle (pardon the pun) for  helping a good cause.  One of the things that Nick talked about when we met him was the lack of support and recognition that injured soldiers receive when they come home from battle, so we have decided to support and raise awareness for all of the injured and disabled war veterans.  Throughout this trip we are going to promote and support the Wounded Warrior Project and we will be posting more details on our support strategy and fund raising programs in the near future so please check back soon.  Feel free to send us your fund raising ideas or suggestions here.

The more support we get, the more support we can give.  We are making this trip for the sheer adventure and have no expectations of benefiting financially from it.  We do have plans to develop and implement revenue generating programs throughout this trip in order to support the above charities.  We are searching for companies that can help us reduce our costs by donating various items or services and in return they will get their company or product aggressively promoted by us for the duration of this trip and beyond...we all win.
 

We are looking for companies that can provide the following:
(and in return we will promote your company and products to all of the 1,000,000 visitors we receive each month)

• Lodging and meals

• Gas, oil and transfer case fluid (see last years trip) (Thank you Napa)

• Jeep Willys parts (Thank you SC Jeep Parts)

• Roll bar and bikini top

• Auto transporters and towing

• Tires

• Rain gear and adventure clothing (the Jeep has no top or doors)

• Printing company that can provide decals for our Jeep (Thank you Doty Graphics)

• Communications such as CB radio, cell phone, GPS technology etc. (Thank you Wilson Electronics)

• Media & promotion companies

more information on becoming a sponsor

We would like to thank the following sponsors for supporting us in 2007 and 2008...

       Custom Street Rods by Steve Banker
 

                           
                                                                             the place to buy and sell Jeeps and Jeep parts

2008 sponsors