Alafia Elementary School fifth grade teacher Rebecca Lantzman grew up watching her dad work on his jeep and share his passion for history, specifically World War II history.
Robert Riddle’s love of history started early in life. In 1977, when he was 17 years old, he and his father discovered a 1942 Ford GPW jeep in the woods in Connecticut. The two worked together for more than 10 years to restore the jeep. Once restored, Riddle would take it to car shows and bring his two children, Rebecca and Bryan.
Riddle believed in the importance of history and not forgetting what happened in WWII. He loved honoring veterans. He drove the jeep in Memorial Day parades in Simsbury and Tarriffville, Connecticut. He was humbled to have driven in parades with WWII veterans in his jeep.
In 2015, Riddle visited Pearl Harbor. He had plans to make a trip to Normandy for his 60th birthday. In 2019, at the age of 59, Robert had the opportunity to take a flight on a WWII B17 Flying Fortress. The WWII plane crashed. Of the 13 on board, six survived. Robert was one of the seven people who died.
Rebecca and her husband, Adam Lantzman, had her father’s jeep shipped from Connecticut to Florida in 2022. The jeep is nostalgic for Rebecca because of the love her dad put into it.
“For me, it’s memories because I always remember my dad being out in the garage. He was always out there tinkering with it,” Rebecca said.
It took months to get the jeep legally registered in Florida. Rebecca and Adam are learning how to keep it running. A few months ago, it was having battery issues. They realized the battery was 9 years old.
In December of 2023, they drove the jeep in its first Florida parade: the Buckhorn Neighborhood Christmas Parade.
It’s hard for Rebecca to put into words what the jeep means to her and why they are working to keep it running.
“It is such a legacy of love,” Rebecca said.
On November 8, Adam drove the jeep to Alafia Elementary for its Veterans Day program. All of the students were able to see the jeep on their way to the cafeteria for the program. They saw a priceless piece of history. Without a doubt, Riddle would be thrilled to know that his jeep was on display at a Veterans Day program.
“I am thankful for the chance to showcase and honor it. It would mean a lot to my dad — I know that,” said Rebecca.
Rebecca and Adam plan to bring the jeep to more events in the community.
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