Ernie Pyle WWII Museum hosts inaugural jeep show

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at 8:57 AM

By Staff report

The Ernie Pyle WWII Museum’s 1944 Ford Jeep at the museum in Dana. Photo by Andy Chandler.

The Ernie Pyle WWII Museum will host a Jeep Show on Saturday, July 12 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. EST in Pyle’s hometown of Dana.

Jeep owners can enter their vehicle into the show for a $20 pre-registration fee or $25 the day of the show. The first 100 entries will receive a customized dash plaque. Military classes include WWII Era, Korean War Era, Vietnam War Era, Hummer/Modern Day. Jeep classes include Best Flat Fender, Best CJ, Best TJ, Best JL, Best YJ, Best JK, Best JT, and Open Class.

Awards will be announced at 2:30 p.m.

The QR code to register can be found on the Ernie Pyle WWII Museum Facebook page.

In addition to the Jeep show there will be a vendor fair, and food and drinks will be available.

All veterans and active military personnel will be recognized during the show at 11 a.m. This includes visitors as well as Jeep show participants. Pyle, who was killed in the Pacific Theater on April 18, 1945, continues to have a positive impact on U.S. troops and their families. It was Pyle’s suggestion to Congress in 1944 that our ‘fighting men get fight pay’ that initiated what Congress passed as the ‘Ernie Pyle Bill’ providing soldiers with a 50 percent pay increase for combat service.

July 2025 also marks the 50^th anniversary of when the birthplace of Ernie Pyle was saved by the organization of volunteers, Friends of Ernie Pyle, and moved to downtown Dana. It was built in 1851 and once stood southwest of town. It was moved to town in July of 1975 and became part of the Ernie Pyle WWII Museum. In 2021, the house, the Elder-Pyle House, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from noon-5 p.m. from May through Veterans Day.