European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 5, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday june 5, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 9u.s. Vehicle dub faces Roadblock by Ron Jensen Normandy Bureau arro Manches France a Fred Scharper spent $10,000 to transport three pieces of his collection of world War in Cra vehicles from his Home in Anchorage Alaska to Normandy. But his vehicles and those of Many other collectors from the United states have been grounded for today and monday a reality that is upsetting to him. A Well sure it is a Scharper said a what do we do stay in the tent for two Days we be come 13,500 Miles to get Here a the military vehicle preservation association an International organization based in the United states has 48 vehicles and about 200 members on a Bluff above the Beach just North of arro Manches. Below Are the beaches nicknamed 50 years ago As Gold Juno and sword and assigned to British Canad Scott an Commonwealth and other Allied forces on a Day. As the anniversary is celebrated Only Vintage vehicles with British or Canadian markings will be allowed on the roads near arro Manches. Quot it was in the Grapevine a said Dick Scott of Deposit n.y., one or the associations directors. A a lot of Guys were irritated about it. I done to mind a Quot ill be the Only american on the Beach a said Eric de Rochambeau a Rhode Island resident. His 1942 jeep bears the markings of a scottish regiment in which his Grandfather served. No one is sure exactly whom to blame. Around the campsite the unhappy folks Are cursing alternately the French government the . Government and the mayor of arro Manches. Mike linger of College station Texas said he and three partners spent a total of $5,800 to ship their vehicles to England. The news that the vehicles could not be moved today or monday angered him. It limits his Access to events. A fall Well be Able to do is walk Down to arro Manches a he said., but others Are More philosophical including Bill Bradford of South Pittsburg tenn., who brought his wife four children and 1941 . Army command car with him. A this Isnit for us a he said of the anniversary event. A this is for the veterans who made it possible for us to be Here. A Little thing like that Isnit going to bother  there Are practical reasons for staying put. The roads in Normandy Are narrow and winding with tight Corners hugged by centuries old Stone by Ron Jensen Normandy Bureau Coleville sur Mer France when ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of a Day have been completed another one will take place in a quiet Orchard 15 Miles West of . The ceremony next saturday will dedicate a memorial to it. Gen. George s. Patton  presence in the Orchard while planning the portion of the breakout from Normandy that he spearheaded. Two granddaughters of the late general Helen Patton and Mother Margaret Georgina Patton have led the Effort for the memorial. A that Orchard is important because that time in the Orchard for Patton was As nuns we would say contemplative a Mother Patton said. The granddaughters said the general and his 300-member command staff were secretly placed in the Orchard near the town of Nehru to plan the 3rd army a role during the Normandy breakout. He spent More than three weeks there wailing for the order to move. During that time he wrote to his.,. Sis John Bohuw a . Preservation groups Vintage truck is stuck in the mud and by bureaucracy on the Beach above arro Manches. Only British or Canadian vehicles will be allowed on the roads at the site today and monday. Buildings. And for the past few Days they have been choked with traffic that increases exponentially each Day. Scott said he and his 1942 Chevrolet a i ton truck had a close encounter with a tourist bus at an intersection Friday. A i had to Back up. He had to Back up a he said. The whole affair caused More anguish than Delight. The group Hadnot planned to take part in any specific celebrations but the Road restrictions will pretty much confine them to quarters. A i done to mind sitting Here playing a few cards drinking a few Beers a he said. The Field where the vehicles Are parked looks like a a Day staging ground except for the domed tents where the owners sleep. There Are hundreds of vehicles Here belonging to britons canadians and norwegians among others. The rain and heavy vehicles have turned the Bluff to mud but it dries quickly when the wind blows hard As it often does. Some visitors go beyond just vehicles and Wear uniforms of the same Era As their jeeps or trucks. Scott said the Mpa is an International organization dedicated Only to preserving vehicles. It has More than 6,000 members mostly in the United states but also in Australia Japan and across Europe. The members Are serious about their vehicles. They laugh when asked the Cost of renovating one. And they never leave Home without spare parts. Bradford listed what he brought with him for his command car including a starter Generator water pump Carburettor two fuel pumps and More a i even brought a spare Axle a said Scott who owns 15 vehicles. He said he once rebuilt a jeep in his basement took it apart again and put it Back together outside. Scharper who also is president of the Alaska territorial cavalry motorized a statewide association of collectors has a photo album of his 1-ton 1943 trucks renovation. When he began it hardly resembled a truck. Now it looks As if it just rolled off the Assembly line. A it probably worked on the Alcan Highway Quot he said referring to the Highway built during world War ii to link the lower 48 with Alaska where bases were vulnerable to japanese attack. Whether they can hit the roads today and monday or not the vehicles have a place Here. De Rochambeau noted that most of them were rushed into production in the 1930s. A a what a amazing is they be come Back to the place where they were intended for a he said a these were built for this  to help dedicate Patton memorial wife a i have a horrible feeling that the fighting will be Over before i get  there is great irony and coincidence linking the event next weekend. Among the Many French people liberated by the 3rd army in August 1944 was an american nun Mother Benedictine. At the moment of liberation she was moved to return to America and found a Benedictine monastery. That became the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem Conn. Mother Patton said she visited the Abbey As a an 18-Ycar-old pseudo hippie and received the Call to serve the lord. Last year the French government purchased the Orchard and declared it a National Monument. It then entrusted the care and cultivation of the Field to the abbe of Regina Laudis. The Abbey subsequently purchased an 18th-Century Home in Nehru and has turned it into a place of study and meditation known As Quot the living flame a a a in be committed the rest of my life to this foundation a Helen Patton said. The general died dec. 21, 1945, at age 60 after a car crash in Germany. A amps Ron Jenson Helen and Mother Margaret Georgina Patton have led an Clort to Honor their Grandfather it. Gen. George s. Patton or