WISNER, Neb., June 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul® was
born as World War II was coming to a close, with its first one-way
trailers made available to the moving public on or about
July 4, 1945.
Just as U-Haul is celebrating 75 years of service this year,
America will soon celebrate the 75th anniversary of V-J Day. This
signifies Victory over Japan and
is observed Sept. 2 when the signing
of surrender occurred, effectively ending WWII.
Veterans such as Wisner native Warren D. Albers returned home to start a new
life after the war, and in doing so planted the seeds of prosperity
for U-Haul, a product of the peace for which they fought.
WWII-era Navy veteran L.S. "Sam" Shoen and his wife,
Anna Mary Carty Shoen, conceived
U-Haul in June 1945 when they
recognized a basic need while moving up the West Coast, having left
behind most of their belongings since one-way trailer rentals did
not yet exist. From that idea, an industry was created and a new
level of mobility became attainable for every American family.
New Display at Pearl
Harbor
Today, U-Haul is committed to honoring
veterans and supporting veteran causes. This is accomplished
through recruiting veterans and giving them hiring preference;
direct assistance to veteran groups; participation and sponsorship
of Memorial Day and Veterans Day parades; and supporting
Pearl Harbor tributes.
The Company's 75th anniversary tributes will peak triumphantly
with the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum's dedication of the renovated
Ford Island Control Tower on Aug. 29.
U-Haul Pacific Theater veterans' bios and photos will be displayed
in the tower lobby. Albers will be among those memorialized on the
lobby wall.
The tower will showcase a new elevator, gifted by U-Haul CEO
Joe Shoen, providing public access
to the observation deck where America's lone WWII aviation
battlefield can be revered and our heroes remembered.
A Man of Many Trades
Albers was born in May 1924 to George and Esther
Albers. He grew up on a farm in Wisner, northwest of Omaha, and attended Wisner High School. He played football and
baseball. During the summers, Albers worked on farms to help pay
for school expenses.
After graduating from high school in 1941, Albers moved to
Portland, Ore., and worked as a
machinist apprentice at the Portland shipyard. He attended Portland Trade
School, where he received training in welding, auto and diesel
mechanics.
In June 1943, Albers joined the
Marine Corps as a radio and radar operator stationed in the
Pacific, as well as in China. He
was part of a Marine air group sent to Peking, China, at the end of the war to oversee the
Japanese surrender. He was honorably discharged in 1946.
After the war, Albers studied engineering at Oregon State in Corvallis. From 1950-51, he served a second
tour with the Marines in the Korean Conflict, assigned to a 155mm
gun unit. After Korea, he attended Lewis and
Clark College in Portland,
graduating in 1953 with a degree in business administration.
Albers began his U-Haul career in May
1954 as a management trainee. For more than 25 years, he
held a number of leadership positions, including area field
manager, shop manager, rental company president and area district
vice president. He helped establish U-Haul operations in
Canada and was instrumental in the
development of the Company's repair program.
Albers passed away in 2008. He is survived by his sons
Brett and Scott (Gayle), daughters
Wendy (Randy Radford) and Tina
(John Crowley), eight grandchildren
and 10 great grandchildren.
Veteran Ties and Appreciation
The Shoens started
U-Haul upon Sam's discharge with $4,000 of accumulated Navy pay
and the courage formed by the cauldron of WWII. With the
help of other veterans, the young couple forged their new
enterprise from the freedom that victory produced.
Today, U-Haul serves all 50 states and 10 Canadian
provinces, helping millions of families move every
year. Albers is one of the many veterans who laid the
foundation for the present prosperity U-Haul enjoys.
U-Haul is one of a myriad of companies built by these incredible
veterans, who are to be saluted and remembered during this 75th
anniversary celebration. Thank you, Warren.
Find more veteran tributes in the History and Culture
section of myuhaulstory.com.
About U-Haul
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of
do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across
all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7
offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day
through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our
proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has
enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 167,000 trucks,
120,000 trailers and 43,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly
697,000 rooms and 60.7 million square feet of self-storage space at
owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer
of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket
industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. For
information on moving safely and smartly with U-Haul during the
COVID-19 pandemic, please reference
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8601451-u-haul-moving-season-covid-19-safety/.
Contact:
Jeff Lockridge
Sebastien Reyes
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-760-4941
Website: uhaul.com
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SOURCE U-Haul