Eisenhower's 1919 Trip Helped Pave Way for the Interstate
Industry officials see lessons for today
July 7 marks the 100th anniversary of the first U.S. Army trans-continental convoy, a test of military mobility in wartime. More than 80 trucks and other vehicles hit the roads. On all, 24 officers and 258 enlisted personnel set out on that date in 1919 from Washington, D.C., and arrived in San Francisco 61 days later.
Joining the trip in Frederick, Md., not far from Washington, was an observer for the War Dept., a young lieutenant colonel with the Tank Corps, Dwight David Eisenhower.