Transcontinental military convoy departs D.C. bound for San
Francisco Mid-morning June 13, history began to repeat itself as
antique military vehicles from the Military Vehicle Preservation
Association began winding its way through downtown Washington,
D.C., on the first leg of a journey that will take the drivers
3,251 miles in 26 days traveling at about 35 mph to San
Francisco. In the summer of 1919, the Army's first
transcontinental motor convoy made up of 81 Army vehicles and
manned by 24 officers and 258 enlisted men began an expedition
that crossed the country's breadth to show the nation the
importance of moving the military through motorized transport.
Among the officers was 29-year-old Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower
who went on to become a five star general and America's 34th
president. Eisenhower's first-hand experience of breakdowns
during the 62-day trip influenced him later as president to
build the country's interstate highway system. The 2009 convoy
will have as many as 300 vintage military vehi