FORT BENTON — Upwards of 50 privately-owned historic military vehicles made a stop in Fort Benton Saturday as part of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association's Lewis & Clark 2026 Convoy.
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The group started the day in Lewistown and continued through Highwood before ending the day in Great Falls. The convoy began in Bismarck, North Dakota, and will cover approximately 2,100 miles over 21 days before reaching Fort Stevens, Oregon. Its route follows portions of the journey taken by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Convoy leader Terry Shelswell said the pace of travel is part of the experience.
"We travel 35 miles an hour. We're on secondary roads, and you get a chance to really enjoy the scenery and the people as we go through the towns," Shelswell said.
The vehicles span several eras of military history, from World War II through the late 20th century. Shelswell explained the meaning behind the organization's key phrase: "History in Motion."
"We're driving these historic vehicles the way that they were meant to be driven — down the road," he said.
For Richard Galli, the convoy is also an opportunity to share a piece of that history with others. The Montana native and retired history teacher is driving a 1945 Ford GPW through the expedition. A thorough tuneup helped prepare the vehicle for the cross-country journey, but the driving experience remains true to its era.
"We go 35 miles an hour on the highway… sometimes 40," Galli said. "And this is my air conditioner right here," he laughed pointing to the window.
Unlike traditional car shows, Galli enjoys that onlookers can take a moment to interact with the vehicles.
"They can get in this, jump on the seat, beep the horn," he said.
Galli's Jeep is marked to honor those who served during the Korean War. Veterans have approached him at events and talked with him about their own experiences.
"It's my honor," Galli said. "This is to honor them."
Also in the convoy, Mark Ingram and Jeffrey Campbell traveled from northeast Tennessee with a 1962 Ford M151 MUTT, a vehicle associated with the Vietnam War era. Ingram is a retired naval officer, while Campbell is a living historian and re-enactor.
The two said preserving operational vehicles helps the public understand history beyond what can be learned from a photograph or static display.
"We try to bring the ground-level truth when we do history and we present our vehicles and we present our re-enactments," Campbell said.
Ingram and Campbell said they retired last year, making this the right time to cross the convoy off Ingram's bucket list, with Campbell joining on as his "wingman." The two said they have been surprised by the reception along the route, with people pulling over to record the convoy and traveling from nearby properties to watch it pass.
Among the crowd in Fort Benton was Vietnam-era Marine Corps veteran Roger Pugh.
"It brings back memories," Pugh said, looking at the convoy.
Shelswell said those interactions are central to the convoy's purpose. In some communities, veterans have stood along the route and saluted as the vehicles passed.
"For us, it's all backwards," Shelswell said, "because we're saluting them with this convoy."
