STELLA, Neb. and TUCSON, Ariz., 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 Stella
native and longtime Tucson
resident Francis T. Wolfe 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. Wolfe, a U-Haul vendor whose successful
affiliation with the Company spanned four decades, 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.
The Bushmasters
Wolfe was born June 5,
1921, to Clifford and Henrietta
Wolfe. When he was 8, the family moved to Oklahoma
City. Wolfe graduated from Northeast High
School in 1939. He attended Oklahoma City University for one year before
enlisting in the Army in February 1941 as a
combat infantryman.
Wolfe served with the 158th Regimental Combat Team, which became
famous for its jungle-fighting skills. The 158th was sent into
areas where the Japanese were offering the most resistance. The
team took the name of "Bushmasters" after the deadly snake by the
same name.
General Douglas MacArthur
personally selected the Bushmasters to be part of his command in
the Southwest Pacific. MacArthur stated: "No greater fighting
combat team has ever been deployed for battle."
Wolfe fought in the Bismarck-Archipelago, New Guinea and Luzon Campaigns. He was awarded
the Asiatic-Pacific Service Ribbon (three bronze service stars);
the Philippine Liberation Ribbon; and a Bronze Star for his service
in the legendary 158th. He was honorably discharged in August 1945 as a first sergeant.
Tucson Ties and U-Haul
After the war, Wolfe moved his
family to Tucson, Ariz., in
1949. He was a leader in the field of outdoor advertising, and
owner and manager of Arizona Neon for 22 years. He was owner and
manager of the Pearson's Sign Company facility in Tucson
from the early 1970s until his death in November 1999.
In the 1960s, Wolfe was instrumental in the creation, design and
construction of some of the country's best-known advertisements.
Among those was the innovative mounting of a rotating U-Haul
trailer on a pole in the back of a U-Haul pickup truck, and the
design of the iconic U-Haul modular sign. This launched a mutually
beneficial vendor relationship with U-Haul that lasted for the
remainder of his life.
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. Wolfe 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, Francis.
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