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Classic Cars Carry Military History in Rye

Charles Schroedel drove down to Rye from West Point in a near mint olive green 1957 Chevrolet sedan emblazoned with the words “Military Police” in black across a white stripe on the front.

“This exactly what they used to drive all the officers around in, back when they were new,” said Schroedel, 72, who is a retired MP officer and now gives escort tours in the classic Chevy at the military academy.

Schroedel was invited for the fifth year to attend “Fleet Day” Friday, June 10, at Rye Playland, where police and fire departments and other emergency responders from across Westchester County gather every year to network and share information about their current equipment and response capabilities.

Schroedel knows everything there is to know about the military academy at West Point, from its history as military garrison during the Revolutionary War to the four-year college that grooms future army officers. He’s currently writing a book on the academy’s history.

Dressed in uniform, wooden nightstick at his side, Schroedel tells people about when he worked as an MP at West Point back in the late ‘50s and there was a fleet of 3,000 Chevys just like the one he had arrived in. Now there are only seven left.

“They love these classic cars here,” said Schroedel. “There’s a lot of history in them.”

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