MILLER, Okla., June 22, 2020
/PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul® was born as World War II was coming to
a close, with its first one-way trailers made available to the
moving public on or about July 4,
1945.
Just as U-Haul is celebrating 75 years of service this year,
America will soon celebrate the 75th anniversary of V-J Day. This
signifies Victory over Japan and
is observed Sept. 2 when the signing
of surrender occurred, effectively ending WWII.
Veterans such as Miller native Briscoe Bennett "B.B." Smith
Jr. returned home to start a new life after the war, and in doing
so planted the seeds of prosperity for U-Haul, a product of the
peace for which they fought.
WWII-era Navy veteran L.S. "Sam" Shoen and his wife,
Anna Mary Carty Shoen, conceived
U-Haul in June 1945 when they
recognized a basic need while moving up the West Coast, having left
behind most of their belongings since one-way trailer rentals did
not yet exist. From that idea, an industry was created and a new
level of mobility became attainable for every American family.
New Display at Pearl
Harbor
Today, U-Haul is committed to honoring
veterans and supporting veteran causes. This is accomplished
through recruiting veterans and giving them hiring preference;
direct assistance to veteran groups; participation and sponsorship
of Memorial Day and Veterans Day parades; and supporting
Pearl Harbor tributes.
The Company's 75th anniversary tributes will peak triumphantly
with the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum's dedication of the renovated
Ford Island Control Tower on Aug. 29.
U-Haul Pacific Theater veterans' bios and photos will be displayed
in the tower lobby. Smith, a successful U-Haul neighborhood dealer
during his career, will be among those memorialized on the lobby
wall.
The tower will showcase a new elevator, gifted by U-Haul CEO
Joe Shoen, providing public access
to the observation deck where America's lone WWII aviation
battlefield can be revered and our heroes remembered.
Military Service and U-Haul Affiliation
Smith was born
in August 1922 to Briscoe and Minerva Smith. As a teen, he was
unable to complete school because his father took ill, and he had
to work to provide for his mother and siblings. Smith worked in the
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Oklahoma, and then completed two years of work
and training through the National Youth Administration (NYA) in
1942.
Smith enlisted in the Navy as a cook in September 1943. In late 1944, Smith and the rest
of the crew of Landing Ship Medium (LSM) 171 sailed for the South
Pacific as part of a convoy tasked with the taking of Okinawa. During the campaign, LSM 171 and
other ships came under heavy and constant attack from Japanese
kamikaze aircraft. Smith was credited with shooting down a kamikaze
that was about to hit another transport ship.
After the war, Smith tried his hand at the paint-and-body
business, as well as cattle ranching, before building a Conoco®
service station in Durant, Okla.
In 1960, Smith signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer. B.B.
Smith Rentals and U-Haul Dealership served Durant customers for more than 31 years.
U-Haul boasts more than 20,000 dealers today. These independent
small business owners serve as the backbone of the company,
accounting for more than 90% of U-Haul rental locations throughout
its North American network.
Smith passed away in March 1997.
He is survived by his children, Garry (Cheryl Ann) and Cheryl; five grandchildren; 17
great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
Garry and Cheryl Ann are both
retired U-Haul Team Members.
Veteran Ties and Appreciation
The Shoens started
U-Haul upon Sam's discharge with $4,000 of accumulated Navy pay
and the courage formed by the cauldron of WWII. With the
help of other veterans, the young couple forged their new
enterprise from the freedom that victory produced.
Today, U-Haul serves all 50 states and 10 Canadian
provinces, helping millions of families move every
year. Smith is one of the many veterans who laid the
foundation for the present prosperity U-Haul enjoys.
U-Haul is one of a myriad of companies built by these incredible
veterans, who are to be saluted and remembered during this 75th
anniversary celebration. Thank you, B.B.
Find more veteran tributes in the History and Culture
section of myuhaulstory.com.
About U-Haul
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of
do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across
all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7
offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day
through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our
proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has
enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 167,000 trucks,
120,000 trailers and 43,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly
697,000 rooms and 60.7 million square feet of self-storage space at
owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer
of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket
industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. For
information on moving safely and smartly with U-Haul during the
COVID-19 pandemic, please reference
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8601451-u-haul-moving-season-covid-19-safety/.
Contact:
Jeff Lockridge
Sebastien Reyes
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-760-4941
Website: uhaul.com
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SOURCE U-Haul