Time to retire DUKW

The recent deaths and sinking of the DUKW (Duck) in Missouri brought back some memories of my World War II father who drove one during two of his five island campaigns in the Pacific in WWII. I grew up in Hot Springs and the WWII surplus DUKWs were a big part of the Hot Springs tourism industry and even named after famous Hot Springs hotels like the Velda Rose and Majestic. The DUKWs used in WWII and Korea were built by Yellow Coach and General Motors from 1942 to 1945, and all are now well over 70 years old.

Though we begged often, my dad would never let my brother and me ride one as he said they rode too low in the water, had constant water-seal failures, sank like rocks, and were unstable with a full load of ammunition, personnel or 105 Howitzers, even in mild surf. Every time we saw one full of tourists, he always told my mother to say a little prayer for the riders. He thought the awnings installed for the tourists were absolute death traps if one sank. Needless to say, we never took a duck ride.

I am not for putting anyone out of business, but perhaps it past time for these long-serving old boats on GM truck chassis that were never meant to be tourist boats to be retired to museums or sold to individual military vehicle collectors who often own jeeps, trucks and even tanks. Perhaps simple boat rides are now in order.

I have passed my father’s warnings on to my children and now my grandchildren. You cannot regulate personal choice, but you sure can regulate safety on antiquated technology, and perhaps it is time to do so.

RON FULLER Little Rock