Bassett Furniture unveiled a piece of history to its employees on May 15: a GMC CCKW 353 cargo truck. Manufactured in the 1940s and used during World War II the truck represents the company’s wartime contributions. Bassett Furniture produced wooden truck beds for the military after securing a contract in Detroit.
“We dedicated the Bassett Furniture company across the street from our main office as a facility to manufacture the truck beds,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeb Bassett. “We also made training rifles—no action to them—just something for the troops to carry as they were training.”
Efforts to procure a truck like the one Bassett contributed to during the war had been ongoing for years. Finding one in good condition proved difficult, as many were left overseas after the war ended.
“We even sent a couple of guys to military shows, and they said, ‘You’re probably not gonna find one, and if you do, it’s gonna be in terrible shape,’” Bassett said. The company got lucky when Bassett’s brother-in-law spotted the truck listed on Facebook Marketplace in North Carolina.
“We got excited. I sent it to our CEO that night, and he said, ‘Buy it.’ So we contacted the seller and said, ‘We’ll wire your money on Monday.’”
Bassett Historian Andrew Doss explained the importance of the company’s contribution during the war. “At a time of war when factories weren’t running, jobs weren’t really available because the government had told them to stop producing so many materials. Only necessary items were being made,” Doss said. “These cargo beds were considered important because they couldn’t make metal beds anymore—there was a shortage of metal.”
Bassett had the truck verified for authenticity and drivability before finalizing the purchase. The company’s head of engineering, Randy Hatchett, helped retrieve the truck with a tow truck and signed the paperwork. Hatchett has since driven it himself.
“It’s a whole lot of turns to get it to turn in somewhere or straighten it out,” Hatchett said.
Hatchett also shared more about the truck’s military service. “It stayed on government property until 1984, when the government released it from ownership. It went through a couple of owners from then until the person we bought it from,” he said. “We’re pretty sure this was part of the Red Ball Express in France, and it moved up to the Netherlands and stayed there until 1984. Then somebody with a good heart brought it back to the U.S.”
The truck was displayed at a recent Cruise-In event in Bassett and will remain on view near the company’s corporate headquarters.
“It’s great that Bassett has been able to get this symbol as a way of memorializing that part of Bassett’s history and the town’s history as well,” Doss said.
The company recently made its first appearance in the annual Christmas Parade and helped sponsor Rooster Walk. Bassett said the company is proud to give back.
“This community has helped make us successful over the years,” he said. “So we want to give back to the local community by sponsoring different events.”
