[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 6, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1184-E1185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF JEEP'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY & CELEBRATING THE NEXT 75 YEARS OF 
                          JEEP CITY IN TOLEDO

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 6, 2016

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as we return from celebrating 
Labor Day in communities across our nation to pay special tribute to 
the iconic American automobile known as Jeep. Let us applaud the men 
and women who have dedicated the best years of their lives to building 
this enduring industrious vehicle over generations. Toledo invited the 
world to celebrate Jeep's 75th anniversary on August 13, 2016. Jeeps of 
every year and model, some quite rare, prototypes and one-of-a-kinds, 
rolled into Toledo to parade through the streets and show off the 
Jeep's history.
  Jeep's story began as a durable and reliable vehicle intended for the 
theatre of military battle and forged in wartime for the troops 
fighting in World War II. The do-anything, go-anywhere Jeep long ago 
evolved from its trademark olive-toned, rugged utilitarian vehicle into 
a classic and enviable symbol of America's fortitude, determination and 
resolve. The Jeep has survived and thrived for the past seventy-five 
years, emerging in our nation's consciousness from ubiquity on the 
battlefield to a rugged symbol found in millions of driveways around 
the globe.
  Though Toledo cannot lay sole claim to its actual origin, the engine 
powering the 645,000 wartime Jeeps was designed in Toledo and Willys 
Corporation trademarked the brand name. The history explains that, 
``After winning a government contract, Willys-Overland's Toledo factory 
built approximately 368,000 vehicles for the U.S. Army during World War 
II. They were shipped all over the world. Where the Army went, the Jeep 
went.''
  Willys-Overland went on to build the ``Jeep station wagon, the first 
all-steel wagon ever built in America. Toledo also introduced the world 
to the Grand Wagoneer, the world's first luxury SUV. The next 
generation of the brand's flagship Wrangler'' will be built in Toledo, 
too. ``Last year, Jeep sold 1.2 million vehicles worldwide. The 
company's Toledo Assembly Complex built 538,993, or 45 percent of them. 
All the while, as Toledoans built Jeeps, Jeep helped to build the 
City's middle class.''
  Much like America itself, Jeep's core characteristics are strength, 
durability and reliability. This has been made possible by a

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dedicated hardworking workforce of the men and women of the Toledo 
region, Jeep's home for all of these years. Our national celebration of 
the Jeep is as much a celebration of Jeep's workforce as it is this 
enduring vehicle. The hardworking and dedicated men and women of the 
United Auto Workers Local 12 have carried Jeep forward over the 
decades. It is the blood, sweat and toil of thousands of auto workers 
over three quarters of a century that delivered Jeep to its 75th 
anniversary.
  The road has not always been easy: there have been times when the 
workforce and Toledo were faced with real challenges to ``Keep Jeep'' 
in Toledo. The aging Willys Overland factory was replaced with a 
gleaming state of the art modern complex that now produces the 
legendary vehicles. The City of Toledo and Jeep's workforce have 
responded time and again to re-making Toledo's signature vehicle. Their 
efforts have been rewarded as the company continues its investment in 
its workforce and in Toledo where work is underway on a $700 million 
retooling and the addition of 700 new jobs.
  There are Jeep enthusiasts all across our country. They love their 
Jeeps and the qualities of the vehicle as much as the symbolism. Yet, 
as its anniversary celebration proved, Toledo loves its Jeep. Its 
legacy is an important part of our identity as a community.
  ``I build Jeeps'' a United Auto Worker says with pride. The sentiment 
was eloquently captured in the Toledo Blade's excellent commemorative 
insert on the 75th anniversary of the Jeep. The story told through the 
commemorative insert underscores the significance of the phrase 
``Toledo Built Jeep'' to Toledo and northern Ohio.
  Mr. Speaker, ``It is true that the American people know Detroit as 
Motor City,'' but I rise today to declare that my hometown, ``Toledo, 
Ohio is Jeep Country.'' Congratulations to Chrysler Fiat Corporation 
and the United Auto Workers Local 12 on their building the signature 
Jeep in Toledo, Ohio. We look forward to the next 75 years in Jeep 
City.

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