The Rise and Fall of the Humvee
Military.com | By Scott Murdock
Published March 05, 2024
Various militaries have given the world plenty of interesting vehicles, but few reach elite status as cultural icons. It’s nearly impossible to think about World War I without remembering Britain’s Mk IV tank; no movie about Vietnam is complete without a UH-1 and “Fortunate Son.” Likewise, the mental picture of American service members in the Middle East will always include a Humvee.
Civilians call it a Hummer. The U.S. military calls it an HMMWV. Service members call it a Humvee, and Motor-T calls it names we can’t repeat in polite company. Whatever you call it, this hardcore truck is one of the most legendary military vehicles of all time.
In the early 1980s, the U.S. military had an age problem –- not with its service members, but with its gear. The most powerful military in the world was staring down the Soviet Union with the 1911, a pistol that saw action in World War I, and the M151, a lightweight 4x4 that wasn’t very different from the Willys first used in World War II.
Service members needed a vehicle that could still rumble over rough terrain, but with enough cargo space to carry modern warfighting equipment.
https://www.military.com/off-duty/autos/rise-and-fall-of-humvee.html
