A restored World War II military jeep will be celebrated Saturday during “Operation Homecoming.”
The fully restored 1942 Ford GPW will lead a parade beginning at 11:30 a.m. down Luverne’s Main Street along with other military vehicles.
A Command Readiness Inspection (or a military vehicle park and shine) will be open to the public from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the courthouse square.
Free root beer floats will be available, sponsored by the Luverne Area Chamber.
A documentary, also called “Operation Homecoming,” makes its world premiere at 3 p.m. at the Palace Theatre.
The 30-minute film follows the jeep’s journey to Luverne.
It was first found stored in a barn in Normandy, France, since 1952 and underwent a 10-month restoration by a French military vehicle expert.
On June 6, the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion, it was driven extensively to various war sites in the French countryside.
And finally, the jeep was placed on a ship to the United States ultimately arriving on a flatbed trailer in Luverne two weeks ago.
World-renowned wildlife photographer and Luverne native Jim Brandenburg had the idea to tell a World War II story with the jeep.
He said it was a dream of his to find a military jeep (preferably a Willy used in the D-Day Invasion) and gift the vehicle to local citizens of Rock County.
“Hatching the idea to bring Willy home was a small role I played, but a strong gesture of my gratitude and thanks to Luverne for giving me the opportunity to grow up in a town with such strong, war hero rich characters,” Brandenburg said.
“This childhood environment and experience gave me the tools to pursue and achieve my dream. Willy will always be a reminder of that to me and hopefully others.”
To assist in telling the jeep’s story, Brandenburg sought help from Renae Reu and Jerry Aanenson, children of two Luverne war heroes, who traveled to France for the June 4-11 filming.
Experience filming in the jeep was moving
Reu is the daughter of the late Robert Anderson, an Army paratrooper who was dropped behind enemy lines during the June 6, 1944, early morning invasion that eventually ended World War II.
Jeeps were first developed during World War II to quickly move equipment and soldiers like Anderson.
“Most likely he was in a jeep off and on at some point all the time he was in the service,” Reu said.
During filming, Reu carried a palm-sized cutout of her father as a 19-year-old soldier.
Several French residents noticed the cutout during the various stops she made with the film crew and her husband, Jerry Reu.
“They would be drawn to the picture,” she said.
“They’d just start shaking hands and thanking me for my father’s involvement and bringing freedom to their country. They had tears — every time they were just so appreciative.”
The D-Day Invasion freed the French from the Germans and Hitler’s rule.
Reu visited several locations by jeep, including the beaches of Omaha and Utah and the villages of Belstone and Carentan.
She found where her father was injured during one of several battles after his D-Day landing.
Because of his head injury, Anderson was sent home in December 1945 after 18 months of service.
In honor of Anderson and the 101st Airborne 502A Company 1st Platoon, the restored jeep has the unit number painted on the bumper.
Luverne: Well-known soldier hometown
Jerry Aanenson is the son of the late Quentin Aanenson, a fighter pilot.
When Jim Brandenburg asked him to be part of a documentary to tell the story of U.S. soldiers who fought in World War II, Aanenson didn’t hesitate to participate.
He said he wants viewers of the documentary to feel what he did by being a part of the project.
“What I walked away with is a better understanding of the heroism that these young boys went through,” Aanenson said.
Aanenson’s father wrote about his personal World War II experiences for his family.
His “Fighter Pilot’s Story” played a key role in the seven-part Ken Burns documentary, “The War,” which made its 2007 world premiere in Luverne.
A 103-year-old air corps veteran from Florida recognized Quentin Aanenson’s flight jacket worn by Jerry Aanenson during the filming on Omaha Beach.
The veteran pilot, who flew with the elder Aanenson, immediately responded “Luverne” and gave the younger Aanenson a hearty hug.
“I hope Luverne knows how special this documentary is,” Jerry Aanenson said. “It was a miracle for me to find this veteran, and within 10 minutes he recognized Aanenson and Luverne.”
Q&A after documentary viewing
Brandenburg will host a question-and-answer session after the viewing of “Operation Homecoming,” and Aanenson and Reu will be special guests.
The project has been close to Brandenburg’s heart.
“D-Day Willy feels to me as an almost living hero-like artifact of one of the most powerful events in world history,” he said. “If only Willy could speak of what it was like landing in France on that fateful day 80 years ago.
“Willy will soon be rolling down Luverne’s Main Street reminding me and others of the gift of freedom that the real heroes of WWII gave us.”
“Hatching the idea
Expenses involved in the filming, jeep restoration and shipping of the jeep to the United States and Luverne are estimated at $110,000, and were covered by donations.
The restored World War II military jeep is parked in Carentan, France, the site of Dead Man’s Corner Museum, where the 101st Airborne fought German soldiers for three days before the U.S. took the former German headquarters. The late Robert Anderson of Luverne fought in the 101st Airborne.
As she sat in a restored 1942 military jeep for six days of filming of the documentary “Operation Homecoming,” Renae Reu (left) was often thanked by French citizens for the service of her late father during World War II. The jeep is now in Luverne and will be the focus of Saturday’s parade and world premiere of the documentary.
A Frenchman (right) shakes the hand of Renae Reu as Jerry Aanenson (center) watches the French re-enact the June 6, 1945, landing of Allied forces on Omaha Beach during the 80th anniversary of D-Day celebration in Normandy, France, in June. The Frenchman thanked both Reu and Aanenson for their fathers’ military efforts to end World War II.
Renae Reu, daughter of the late Robert Anderson, carried a palm-sized cutout of her father as a 19-year-0ld soldier in World War II while she talked about his service as a paratrooper during the D-Day Invasion on June 6, 1944.
