Photo By Capt. Christopher Herb | During annual training at Fort Chaffee, Ark., on June 6, 2025, Capt. Will Combs of...... read more read more
Fort Chaffee, Ark. - Capt. Will Combs 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 Combs, 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 Combs. “He was like, ‘Absolutely not!’”
That childhood dream became a reality when Combs 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 Combs. “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 Combs restored the Jeep, he found the perfect place to test it out. With permission from his battalion commander, Combs brought the ’48 Willys to annual training. He and his First Sgt. were turning heads as Soldiers would see them driving around post.
The response from Soldiers was immediate.
“They absolutely love it! I had some Soldiers up at the radar section. They wanted to get pictures in it. They just think its incredibly cool, said Combs. “They want to see the engine. Check it out. Ride in it.”
But the Jeep wasn’t just for show-it helped Combs connect with his Soldiers in a personal way. Arriving at the range, Combs 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, Combs 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 found his way to demonstrate 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: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Capt. Combs Drives 1948 Jeep to Boost Morale During Annual Training, by CPT Christopher Herb, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
