So now we're buying $209,000 Jeeps?

That little beauty flying along hauling a 37mm cannon behind it is an original "Bantam Reconnaissance Car" - one of the first U.S. Army Jeeps! The "go anywhere, do anything" original Jeeps were absolutely amazing, cost only a few thousand dollars of taxpayer money, and had reasonable ground clearance, reasonable mobility and reasonable power -- more in the Model "T" class, as far as it went, but enough that these ubiquitous vehicles are a classic symbol of America in World War 2! In fact, the Bantam company version - the true original jeep - was copied by the Russians and turned into their GAZ or UAZ field vehicle, which is still found in huge numbers today around the world!



Now, we have the Marine Corps' Internally Transportable Vehicle, designed to be hauled around inside an Osprey heli-airplane's cargo bay. The price tag? Only $209,000!

Of course, the Marines have to have it in two flavors! One's a four-pack designed to haul around a pintle-mounted .50 cal like "The Rat Patrol" and the other's a two-pack built to tow either a French-built 120mm mortar or a mortar ammo trailer.

Since the interior of the Osprey is like 5 feet wide and 5 feet high, this thing has a narrow wheelbase and a tricked-out suspension system that lets it lower itself to fit the height requirements.

Come on, now! Why wasn't the ITV part and parcel of the Marine Corps' design of the Osprey? Would it have really, really hurt the aerodynamics of the Osprey to make the fuselage 18" wider and maybe a foot taller? Might not have been as sexy, but the ability to carry a reasonable-sized vehicle should have been a red flag sticking up somewhere!

Aside from the high-priced suspension system, it also comes with a foldable roll bar, a diesel engine and disc brakes as part of the package. It can even get up to 45 mph! Gee! A rebuilt M151 Jeep - which was already known as a people-killer due to its narrow wheelbase - with a narrower wheelbase, a tighter turn radius to create more tipping problems, and in the tow vehicle configuration, the classic problem of load balances being too high above the center of gravity, and the added ability to jack-knife due to lower polar moments (ask an 18-wheeler driver!) will make this a wonderful vehicle for the average 18-year-old Marine on rough terrain! Oh, and no armor! Just the thing for bopping down the main drag at Kandahar looking for babes, right?

I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Marines. I've served with them, and some of my best friends are Marines. But, once in a while, they come up with something that brings back the old "U.S. Moron Corps" jibes in the back of the mind...