Images: The Chrysler Group on Facebook

Though Memorial Day 2014 has come and gone, the Chrysler Group continues its tribute to all the men and women who served in our military with the debut of its Toledo, Ohio, Veteran’s Memorial. Complete with a vintage Toledo-built 1942 Willys Military Jeep, this memorial is sure to be a source of pride for Chrysler and its former military members year round from here on.

Revealed over Memorial Day weekend, Chrysler’s Veteran’s Memorial outside the Toledo, Ohio Assembly Plant was put together by Toledo Assembly Complex workers to pay tribute to all the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The memorial was dedicated by Chrysler Vice President of Assembly Operations Zach Leroux, UAW Local 12 Chairman Mark Epley , and TAC Plant Manager Chuck Padden, as well as current plant employees and five military veterans with ties to the Toledo Assembly Plant, during a presentation on Friday, May 23rd.

With nearly 10 percent of the Toledo Assembly Plant’s 4,200 workers having once been active military members, and the company’s tie to early military Jeeps, the Chrysler Group couldn’t have thought of a better place to pay tribute to some of the country’s finest men and women than on the grounds of the Toledo plant.

The 1942 Willys Jeep featured in the memorial made its way from Texas just to be part of the tribute.

“Like all Americans, we owe our freedom to the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve in the military, but at Jeep, we owe our very existence to our WWII veterans,” TAC Plant Manager Chuck Padden stated in a recent press release. “When they returned home from the war, they purchased civilian versions of the Jeep vehicles they learned to depend upon in the war. These heroes became our first Jeep enthusiasts. Without them, we would not be here today.”

Transformed back to its original military aesthetics, this classic Willys Jeep will serve as a reminder for all that pass the Toledo Assembly Plant of the Chrysler’s connection to the military.

“But the Jeep legacy is not just about the vehicles; it is also about the people,” Padden continued. “Some of the people who currently work in this plant and some who helped refurbish this 1942 Jeep are descendants of those who possibly built this very vehicle. We have come a long way at the Toledo Jeep plant, so it’s important to remind the new generation where it all started.”

Included in the memorial are silhouettes of military personnel, which were created by volunteers from the Toledo plant, as well as a true Toledo-born 1942 Willys Military Jeep.

The Jeep, which was recently found in Wimberley, Texas, was initially found through Craig’s List. When the seller found out about Chrysler’s interest in the vehicle, he sold it to them for just $950 and transported it himself to the Toledo plant in exchange for a plant tour.

The Jeep arrived at the Toledo Plant on May 9th where it underwent an aesthetic restoration to its original military design. Though it doesn’t run, this particular Jeep is the ultimate tribute to all the military vehicles Chrysler contributed to, as well as to the men and women that have fought for our freedoms.