OREANDA-NEWS. May 14, 2015. For U.S. military veterans waiting for the right time to purchase a GMC truck, crossover or SUV, GMC is expanding the GM Military Discount to all veterans – regardless of separation date – through June 30.

The expanded discount is part of GM Military Appreciation Month, which began May 1. Last year, more than 40,000 active-duty, reserves, retired and veteran service members used the discount to purchase vehicles from eligible GM brands, including veteran Kathryn Scott of Reidsville, Ga. who bought a new GMC Terrain.

“The process was easy – all I had to do was show my DD Form 214 separation papers and my dealer (NeSmith Chevrolet Buick GMC Inc. in Claxton, Ga.) took care of everything,” said Scott, who served eight years in the U.S. Air Force, most recently at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. “I love my Terrain, and it was nice to put the savings toward other things I needed to take care of.”

The most comprehensive military pricing program of any automaker covers all 22 million active-duty, reserves, retired and veteran service members and spouses from every military branch: U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard during May and June. After June 30, the discount applies to active-duty, reserves and retired military and spouses, and veterans and spouses within a year of separation.

First offered in 2008, the GM Military Discount Program features pricing below the suggested retail price for eligible vehicles. It can be combined with most other current incentives from GMC, as well as a \\$750 discount for USAA Insurance members. Customers must take delivery by June 30, 2015.

“At a time when more Americans have been buying trucks, crossovers and SUVs, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to make a GMC more attainable to the men and women have served this country,” said Duncan Aldred, U.S. vice president, GMC sales.

All GMC models, including the Denali trim, are eligible for the GM Military Discount:

  • GMC Canyon midsize pickup, the newest member of the GMC family and winner of AutoWeek’s 2015 “Best of the Best” Truck award and Ward’s 10 Best Interiors
  • GMC Sierra 1500 – the most powerful light duty pickup on the market – and Sierra HD full-size pickups, all new for the 2014 model year
  • GMC Terrain small SUV and GMC Acadia large crossover
  • Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs, all new for the 2015 model year
  • GMC Savana passenger vans

GMC and the military: A distinguished history

GMC’s relationship with the U.S. military dates to World War I, as trucks began replacing horses and mules to transport troops, serve as ambulances and provide other tactical support. In 1916, the GMC Model 16 was chosen for the Class AA standard ?-ton truck by the U.S. Army for the duration of the war.

By 1936, GMC was developing multi-drive axle military vehicles. During World War II, GMC fulfilled 59 U.S. War Department contracts, as well as those from Great Britain, France and other Allies, worth \\$1.5 billion. GMC built 583,925 multi-drive military vehicles, including 528,829 6x6 trucks, 21,147 amphibious 2?-ton DUKW353 “Duck” trucks(based on modified GMC CCKW trucks, and 32 armored cars.

GMC delivered its first “Ducks” – finished on a repurposed bus assembly line – to the U.S. Army in 1943. A unique central tire inflation system allowed the driver to adjust tire pressure from his seat. Higher pressure made the craft navigable on pavement; lower pressure provided better flotation and traction on soft ground, such as beaches. The last Ducks were produced in 1945; surviving units were used for military training and in the tourism industry.

In 1944, GMC received the Army-Navy “E” Award for Excellence in the war effort. The U.S. Army considered the GMC 2?-ton 6x6s the best trucks in service, and the GMC Duck the most outstanding of new ordnance weapons.

GMC’s military support continued beyond the world wars. In 1963, GMC built specially designed tractors for the U.S. Air Force to transport Minuteman guided missiles. In 1991 and 1992 during the Persian Gulf War, GMC light trucks were delivered to the joint military forces of Saudi Arabia. They included heavy-duty pickups converted to troop/cargo carriers and 900 heavy-duty chassis cabs with ambulance bodies.

Learn more about how to purchase a new GMC vehicle using the GM Military Discount at gmmilitarydiscount.com.

About GMC

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, with innovation and engineering excellence built into all GMC vehicles. The brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. GMC’s highest-volume vehicle, the Sierra pickup, is the most powerful light-duty pickup on the market, and the first full-size pickup to receive the highest-possible five-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration changed its New Car Assessment Program for the 2011 model year. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc.

About GM Military Support

GM’s 100-year history of military and support leadership continues today through philanthropy, education and training opportunities and employment initiatives. The GM Military Discount offers the most comprehensive military purchase program in the auto industry to active duty members, reservists, National Guard members, veterans and retirees — and spouses — of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.