Charlie Enxuto of South Carolina, left, and Jay Burbank of Cambria, California, right, beside Military Maxi, the 1931 Ford Model A that they will drive to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT. (Image Credit: Adam Berls/CKPGtoday.ca Staff)

By Adam Berls

honouring veterans

U.S. Veteran driving to Tuktoyaktuk to honour Canadian veterans

Jun 14, 2023 | 3:03 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — A man from California has made his way to Prince George to start on a road trip to the Far North, and he’s doing it all in a 92 year old vehicle.

Jay Burbank is a U.S. Air Force veteran from Cambria, California and has brought a special vehicle with him all the way from California to Prince George, and BC’s northern capital is only the starting point for his 3000 kilometer road trip to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT to honour veterans.

Jay is no stranger to long trips as he has been to 18 different countries and has driven from the California-Mexico border as far north as Prince George in a Ford Model A.

“So for the past four years I’ve been putting together a trip to the Dempster, and about six months ago I decided to do it with my friend Charlie and as a fundraiser for continuation school students in the town of Cambria, where I work. So it’s going to be it’s going to be quite an adventure, I think.” – Jay Burbank, U.S. Veteran Travelling to Tuktoyaktuk from PG

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Jay’s 1931 Model A is named Maxi and on a trip on the Lincoln Highway, Jay met a son of a veteran who had been wounded in Iwo Jima, and was so moved by his story that he asked him to sign Maxi. Since then, over 800 signatures from U.S. veterans have been autographed on Maxi.

“I’ve had World War Two veterans sign it. In fact, I’ve reserved the front doors pretty much for World War Two veterans. It has become, for me, something so special that I want it to continue and I’ve actually found an air museum that I’m going to leave it to because they actually have a B-52 bomber that I actually worked on during Vietnam.” – Jay Burbank, U.S. Veteran Travelling to Tuktoyaktuk from PG

Canadian veterans will also have a spot on the car where they can sign, and Jay is also hoping that this trip will increase the visibility of Cambria’s American Legion Scholarship fund which is used to help graduates of the local continuation school. Jay’s progress to Tuktoyaktuk will be updated on his blog, and more information on his trip and Maxi can also be found on his blog and the link can be found HERE.

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Twitter: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com