Fort Chaffee, Ark. - Capt. Will Comb of Benton, Ark., brought a unique piece Army heritage to annual training on June 6, 2025, when he drove a 1948 Willys Jeep onto the range.
“I wanted a flat fender Jeep since I was eight, said Comb, the company commander of HHB, 206th Field Artillery Battalion, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. “I tried to talk my dad into getting me one when I was 16,” said Comb. “He was like, ‘Absolutely not!’”
That childhood dream became a reality when Comb found a Jeep at a used car lot in Melbourne, Ark., after a tip from his barber.
“I talked to the guy at the lot,” said Comb. “He told me, it wasn’t for sale, but we could go look at it. It hadn’t run in a couple of years and they were moving locations. They had to get rid of it. I ended up trading him a ‘97 BMW Z3 straight across. I spent about a year fixing it up,”
Once Comb restored the Jeep, he found the perfect place to test it out. With permission from his battalion commander, Comb brought the ’48 Willys to annual training. He and his First Sergeant were turning heads as Soldiers would see them driving around post.
The response from Soldiers was immediate.
“They freaking love it! I had some soldiers up at the radar section. They wanted to get pictures in it. They just think its freaking cool, said Comb. “They want to see the engine. Check it out. Ride in it.”
But the Jeep wasn’t just for show-it helped Comb connect with his Soldiers in a personal way. Arriving at the range, Comb set a box of cookies on the Jeep’s fender and greeted his troops. One by one, Soldiers came forward, unable to hide their smiles as they reached in for a treat.
When asked what he enjoys most about command, Comb didn’t hesitate: “Taking care of Soldiers. If a Soldier brings a concern to me, it’s very satisfying to be able to take that to battalion or brigade and say we have to fix this - it’s effecting Soldiers. I can make that change.”
Combs’s demonstrated Army leadership by being present, engaged and willing to go the extra mile for his Soldiers.
Date Taken: | 06.06.2025 |
Date Posted: | 06.12.2025 18:36 |
Story ID: | 500125 |
Location: | FORT CHAFFEE, ARKANSAS, US |
Hometown: | BENTON, ARKANSAS, US |
Web Views: | 37 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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