In January of 1970, I had returned from Vietnam and a few months later my National Guard unit was released from active duty. Before I had left for my tour in 1969, Pauline and I had bought a brand new VW SquareBack in Savannah GA.

When I was released, I took about a month off before returning to my job with Continental Airlines in Operations at the Downtown Kansas City Airport. On the first day that I am to report for work, I was in the SquareBack sitting at a stoplight waiting for it to turn green. All of sudden, everybody behind me and around me began honk their horns, yell and wave to me to get out of the car.

I jumped out, and the entire back of the car was on fire under the engine. By the time the fire department arrived, fire had pretty much consumed the car and it was totaled. It was later determined that the VW square-back had a fuel line problem and many had broken fuel lines and fires.

Joe