Community puts on car show as final wish for Vietnam veteran
Hot rods, sports cars and a lot of classics cruised along Highway 77 in Guthrie, Oklahoma, on Thursday to a Vietnam veteran who was recently discharged from a hospital and is now in hospice.
They did it as a final wish for Buck Jones, a huge classic car guy who wanted to see a car show from his own driveway.
"He has a thing for '56 Chevys. And we're not sure why he's so dead set on the year '56, but he loves '56 anything. Chevy hardtops are kind of the main point," his granddaughter, Ashley Jones, said.
It's hard to look away when a classic car rolls by, much less that classic 1956 look. The owners of several cars brought a show to Buck's doorstep.
"He can't believe that anyone is coming to do this for him," Ashley said.
Everyone at the parade thinks Buck deserves it. The 76-year-old Navy veteran is known for more than serving his country.
"He was on a minesweeper, the USS Pluck, I believe, from 1968 to '71," Ashley said.
After his time in the Navy, he worked for nearly 30 years as a civilian at Tinker Air Force Base. Tim's Body Worx in Guthrie put together one last car show for Buck.
"This is a really big deal. He's on hospice, and he requested some classic cars come by," Ashley said. "He can't get out to the car shows, and he would attend almost every car show he could go to in the metro until he physically couldn't do it."
Buck's family said that he's more than just a veteran and a classic car guy. Those are two things that would make him cool enough as it is, but he's got more style than the rides in his driveway.
"Selfless is the first thing that comes to mind," Ashley said. "Compassionate would be the next word."
And it doesn't matter to Buck if you're meeting him for the first time.
"Giving, compassionate. I mean, he tells everyone he loves them whether you're a stranger or known him his entire life," Ashley said.
She said that she's in the process of tracking down other Navy veterans who were on the USS Pluck at the same time he served to connect them with Buck.
