Jeep Heroes Program – And Veterans Special Offer [Sponsored Video]

Whenever I see a Jeep on the road, I hearken back to some of my old favorite war movies.  As the video below outlines, Jeep vehicles were leading our troops into battle all the way back to World War 2 and has been a mainstay of military equipment ever since.

Here’s an interesting factoid for you: The Marine Corps actually awarded the Purple Heart to a heroic Jeep_® 4×4 vehicle named “Old Faithful” in 1943 for meritorious valor and duty in combat during World War II. I’m not aware of any other brand or vehicle that has that accolade.

Jeep is making a major effort at this time to honor America’s heroes.  In November, Jeep partnered with Newsweek & The Daily Beast Hero Summit which took place in Washington, DC.  The event highlighted stories of sacrifice, heroism and physical courage under fire.  Executives from Jeep attended and spoke at the event, as well as distinguished heroes.

As part of Jeep’s Heroes program, check out these 5 organizations they endorse to help honor veterans:

• Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation (here)
• Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (here)
• The Mission Continues (here)
• Student Veterans of America (here)
• Team Rubicon (here)

Veterans Day thru Year-End $500 Bonus

Who doesn’t like getting a discount on a major purchase like this? $500 is nothing to sneeze at.  In rememberance of Veterans Day, the Jeep_® brand started offering a special limited time offer to all Reservists and Honorably Discharged Veterans (regardless of discharge date) from June 5, 2012 through January 2, 2013. This $500 bonus cash offer does not apply to the current military offer extended to active and honorably discharged veterans with 20 years of service. The two offers cannot be combined. This exclusive offer applies to 2012/2013 model year vehicle purchases and leases of All-New vehicles (excludes SRT^® models, Viper, 2012 Chrysler 200 Sedan LX, 2012 Dodge Avenger SE, 2012 Dodge Journey AVP, 2013 Dodge Dart SE, FIAT^® 500 Pop and FIAT^® 500 Abarth).

Jeep, the Military and How it Got Its Name:

So, I decided to do some additional research into Jeep’s history and involvement in prior wars and where the heck the name even came from.  Based on some research from both wikipedia and Jeep’s website, the name Jeep itself is actually an abbreviated monosyllabic pronunciation of “GP” (Government Purposes) . Evidently, it was much easier to say “Jeep” than GP. The first Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle (SUV) brand. Willys-Overland and Ford, under the direction of Charles E. Sorensen (Vice-President of Ford during World War II), produced about 640,000 Jeeps towards the war effort, which accounted for approximately 18% of all the wheeled military vehicles built in the U.S. during the war. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, which Americans as you know, have come to know and love over the years.  You can’t watch a military movie without seeing the classic Jeep model within.  Jeep is currently part of the Chrysler group of automobiles.

This post is sponsored by Jeep