Brendan Gibbons shared a close bond and a passion for preserving military history with his grandfather, Richard, a World War II veteran.
After his grandfather died in 2018, Gibbons could have quit the hobby he shared with his beloved grandfather. But he decided, in order to preserve Richard’s memory, he was going to devote even more time and energy to his passion, keeping the history of World War II alive.
Gibbons has no discretion over what mementos he’ll find, preserving pieces of almost any size.
When Gibbons’ grandfather was still living, the duo would venture to estate sales, buying vintage military uniforms and memorabilia that would have otherwise been discarded.
“When older generations pass away, there’s uniforms and documents and old photos,” Gibbons told the local CBS affiliate in Albany. “And people often say, what am I going to do with this? Toss it out? Don’t. Call people like me. We’re all over the world, because we’ll save it.”
Casual Collecting Turns into Home Museum
After collecting these historic pieces, Gibbons and his grandfather wouldn’t just bring them home and tuck them away in a closet never to be seen again. Rather, almost museum-like, they worked to bring these items back to life.
They took the time to research each piece to discover stories of the past and get to know the soldier who once wore the uniform.
What did he do? What did he live through? How did his life turn out? Did he make it out?
Gibbons realizes that for so many veterans, life doesn’t stop after they leave the service and take off the uniform.
Auto Restoration Business
Gibbons and his grandfather also worked on restoring World War II-era vehicles.
Through their business, Gibbons Military Motors, the pair would feature vintage trucks in parades for many years in New York’s Capital Region, all the way down to the busy streets of Manhattan. As a child, Gibbons would ride in the back, decked out in a helmet and fatigues, while his grandfather drove.
In 2014, they were sent an old Army jeep to repair named “Dolly.”
“What you see here is reproduction seats, tires and a top,” Gibbons said. “Everything else we left in, including the original 60 horsepower motor.”
These days, while his grandfather is gone, Gibbons is steadfast in continuing to honor him and other World War II veterans with his restoration efforts, hoping to enlighten future generations.
We want to work with schools and bring stuff to them and say, ‘Here’s the WWII uniform’ or ‘Here’s a photo, here’s documents.’ You can learn about this person.
Gibbons even has on display the cap and uniform his great-grandfather wore in World War I.
Based on recent figures from the National World War II Museum, there’s only about 45,000 American veterans out of 16.4 million who served, still alive from World War II.
Gibbons knows with every piece of memorabilia he collects and preserves, he’s paying tribute to his late grandfather. He plans to keep rescuing these pieces of history for as long as he can.
“It tells a story, it’s incredible,” Gibbons said. “Don’t just get rid of this stuff. I would like to think my grandfather and his friends would be proud of what I’m doing.”
If you have a piece of memorabilia Gibbons may be interested in, contact him at [email protected].
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