Catch the Kindness Bug
Joshua from Germany
Where it started
Perhaps it was kismet for Josh? Being born and spending his first few years in a small German town in the hills. A country who is near the top 2 when it comes to their love of cars. When American’s refer to European cars they almost always are pointing out one that is German.
Is this why Joshua loved classic Volkswagens so much? Possibly, although his emotional attachment was a BMW X3. He’d toddle around the house playing with diecast cars, pointing to the blue and white prop emblem say “Beeemer” with his ever so unique inflection.
That’s not to say he lacked a partiality toward VW’s. After all, there were plenty of diecast models around for him to commender. At a young age he became partial to the Bus (or Van, Microvan, Vanagon, etc). We always mused it was because the shape fit most easily in his pudgy little hands. Either way he was hooked. Different varaitions of Buses began to show up in our flat, aided by the ease of appropriation. This was Germany and offical licensesd VW toys were EVERYWHERE. Then we got our A5 Beetle and drove it to Wolfsburg (the Detroit of Germany) visitied a VW muesam, lost a Thomas the Tank engine in a pond, and he saw and sat in some of the rarest one of VWs out there.
Always a Dreamer
Where it went
After his second birthday we moved back to the States. Josh was enamored with all the different cars he hadn’t seen before in Europe. Big trucks, school busses and RVs. He also loved our 1974 Beetle that came out of storage. He’d help work on it in the garage. Cleaning it. Pretending to drive. Using his kiddy tool set to “adjust” the various bits and pieces he could reach. However, the reality of military life meant it wasn’t cost efficient to transport or store if from duty station to duty station and as our family grew it wasn’t time to have a classic car.
This did not impede his love of old cars and VWs. In fact, he doubled down. Building a collection of models, diecast, hotwheels, and RC cars that he’d proudly display on the shelves in his room. He’d sketch out plans for modified VW Buses turned into RVs and talk about finding that one amazing “barn find” that he could fix up and drive as his first car. In his mind, somewhere out there, was an old VW Bus just waiting for him in a shed, barn or garage.
But dreams do change. As he got older, he began to reminisce about our 1974 Beetle. And while he always wanted a van, he began to draw Beetles in school and talk about finding one just like it. Going through his school papers after he died we came across a drawing of a picture that hung in his room. Him as a baby with us in front of the yellow Beetle. He even made a paper wrapper for his water bottle with a yellow Beetle titled “The Bug” along multiple watercolors. He’d speak of it fondly and often.
A Work in Progress
How it’s going
The outpouring of support from local VW owners at his, memorial coupled with an impending retirement from the military and Josh’s unwavering big dreams spurred us on. We began looking for a Beetle, his Beetle. He’d been specific too. It had to be a 1974 Standard Beetle, not Super Beetle, and it had to be yellow.
We cast a far net looking across the country. Finding a yellow Bug is relatively easy. Finding a 1974, not too much of a challenge. Having it be a Standard over a Super in the later years was a little difficult. Put all three of those together and it became quite the challenge. Scouring the internet night after night for months yielded few attainable results. The yellow was too pale. It was a convertible. They were all Super Beetles.
As we sat at home, still in the dense fog of grief and sorrow, I opened Facebook Marketplace for a welcome distraction and there, just listed and hour before, was a yellow 1974 Standard Beetle not even an hour away. A message was immediately sent. I explained the situation, the meaning behind this Bug, and the seller texted their their number right away and just said call me. We both teared up on the phone as we chatted and the determination was, it was ours if we wanted it. A quick look confirmed it was the Bug we’d been looking for. Money changed hands, including a $20 bill from Josh’s piggy bank. He’d chipped in. Josh had bought his Bug.
Wearing the same custom plate that Josh himself used in Forza Horizon 5, his yellow Beetle sits in our dirveway. And while it’s nice to look at it is very much a work in progress and a playground for his little brother and sister. Replacing 50 year old wiring, lights, relays, door panels, trim…. the list goes on. But as we restore his Bug, his dream, we want to use it to inspire others. Catch the Kindness Bug at one of our events. Take a picture with it and share your stories about Josh, Volkswagens, Kindness and any combination of.
We are by no means master mechanics, but we have a great support network, a cause, and one little boys dream.
The Joshua Chamberlain Project 