WWII Veteran Reunited With 1942 Harley-Davidson
Harley enthusiast gets best-ever 97th b-day gift with visit by fantasy bike.
A Harley-Davidson motorcycle can bring a variety of memories to people. Riders can remember their first time on a bike. Maybe it’s the feeling of joy from riding on the open highway. Perhaps, it’s the excitement you get the first time you felt the growl of the engine. For retired military veteran Bill Peck, from Lakeland, Florida, he remembers something completely different. He remembers the battlefield.
Bill Peck is a retired sergeant in the 1st Armored Division who worked on Harley-Davidson WLAs during World War II. Starting as a truck mechanic, Peck eventually moved to Harleys when they were introduced. From then on, Peck and his two crewmen were responsible for maintaining the fleet of 32 WLAs.
Years later, Peck had talked to a person with VISTE, an organization that provides services to seniors, and he mentioned how he wanted to see a Harley-Davidson WLA, since it had been decades. For his 97th birthday, they made that dream a reality when he was reunited with the same type of machine that he worked on during the war, and the Lakeland Ledger was there to document the event.
“I have seen each part on this thing,” Peck said as he gazed upon the 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA. Don Huffman, retired owner of Harley-Davidson of Lakeland, had a fully-restored WLA that he takes to shows and parades. “This is what it’s for, it’s why I got it,” said Huffman, an Air Force veteran. “You can’t find these motorcycles everywhere.”
Peck isn’t just good with the WLA, he’s an expert. When the WLA was introduced to the Army, primarily as a vehicle for couriers, Military Police, and quick emergency transport, there was a tiny flaw. When the motorcycles were washed, moisture would build up in the carburetor. This issue bothered Peck. Eventually he came up with a fix for the carburetor that was replicated in production.
“We have repair manuals if you want to go to work,” Huffman joked.
“I don’t need them,” Peck responded.
Peck, who is mobile in his 97th year thanks to a motorized scooter, was able to work his way to the bike and actually take a seat. Of course, the only thing that would have been better is if he was able to take it out for a ride. Even though he won’t be able to do that, Peck was still grateful for the experience, and the wait was all worth it.
“I just like to see. Remember what they were, what they looked like. … There was no particular reason — just one of those things,” Peck continued. “This made [the birthday] a little better. … I’m glad to see it.”
