Lawrence Street Sighting: AM General HMMWV

Even though I have a strong disdain for war itself, the vehicles used in war are--to put it bluntly--awesome. I have always had a thing for dueces, halftracks, and military-grade pickup trucks. While I generally do not like very many vehicles that wear the Hummer badge, the precursors are absolutely insane. In all my years carspotting, I think this has to be one of my favorite spottings ever for two reasons--I have never seen a military Hummer up close and had the opportunity to do a thorough walk-around, and I certainly was not expecting to find this thing in the middle of downtown Lawrence.

Long before the H2 was ever dreamed up, Hummer meant something entirely different; for those in the know, the Hummer was called the HMMWV, and honestly I had to get some help here. It stands for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle; and that it is. Being able to climb extreme grades, survive bomb blasts, and ford high waters, this vehicles were the end-all be-all for American soldiers in the mid 1980s, all the way up until now. Like the other big trucks destined for military use (Mercedes Gelandewagen,  and Toyota Landcruiser), the Hummer eventually (and sadly) evolved into a shell of its former self, and was marketed toward douchebags with more money than knowledge. 

I rarely see H1 Alphas around, and when I do, they're always being driven aggressively by steroid-using idiots who look like a terrible version of Arnold Schwarzenegger; I've never gotten to shoot a proper Hummer before, and this is my first one. So I am pretty proud that my first one is a real one.

Obviously, this is an ex-combat truck; the paint is far from mint, and its caked in dirt, but really who cares? The cammo on this thing is dope. I love the fact that it isn't immaculate, and its all accurate, too. None of that fake cammo bullshit.

Also, this thing has an original (and very spartan interior consisting of two seats, a steering wheel, and not much else; hell, it doesn't even have actual windows--just cutouts. As this is the second military vehicle I have seen (the Kaiser from a couple years ago was the first) I honestly spent my time just staring at this thing in pure awe. I have never seen something so badass, so close to me.

I likely think this belongs in my list of top ten finds so far; it really is that cool. Do readers want to see more of this kind of stuff?