'G.I. Joes' Deployed for Fundraiser

WATERLOO, Iowa -- From the Revolutionary War to Operation Desert Storm, G.I. Joe has served the United States admirably.

In Waterloo, a real American hero has one last mission to accomplish: refurbish Veterans Memorial Hall and raise money for veterans' causes.

Vietnam veteran Randy Miller is slowly selling off his extensive collection of the fictional military toy. He said G.I. Joe stands for freedom, so it is only appropriate to use the cash Joe earns on veterans that helped preserve it.

Miller, a member of the Veterans Memorial Hall Commission, said the downtown building needs about $500,000 in improvements to adequately preserve and display historic items. He's donating the action figures to be auctioned and raffled off to put a dent in the bill and to help other veterans organizations.

Last month four vintage G.I. Joe toys in the original boxes brought in $70 for the hall. It was part of a raffle during the Veterans Day program.

"I think every penny helps," Miller said. "It's not hard to give them away. I've enjoyed them, and I know they will be a benefit to something or somebody else. There's not a better cause for the G.I. Joe money to go to."

When Hasbro first started making G.I. Joe toys in the mid-1960s, the 60-year-old said, he was already past the stage of wanting the action figures for play. But collecting was a different story.

With a deep family military tradition -- Miller's great-grandfathers fought in the Civil War, father was in World War II and he and his brother and cousin served in Vietnam -- the toys intrigued Miller. Many of the variations of Joe told a story on the box, such as the history of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The talking action figure says, "air raid Pearl Harbor, this is no drill." Others in Miller's collection include a Minuteman Joe from the Revolutionary War to John F. Kennedy when he was on a PT Boat in World War II.

The retired letter carrier said he started buying Joes in the late 1970s when he could afford it, averaging a few a month. He would stake out local stores for new shipments.

"Collecting is a weird scenario. It starts with one or two, becomes a passion and turns into an obsession," Miller said.

At one time, Miller said, he had about 300. He stopped buying six years ago when he retired. However, displaying the collection became too difficult.

When it became apparent that he couldn't show off the classic figures at Veterans Memorial Hall, at 655 Cedar St., the former sailor and Marine decided to sell them and use the proceeds to make sure other artifacts at the hall have a proper home.

Fellow commission member Marcia Courbat is thankful Miller did. The Women's Army Corps veteran said the hall needs work, and raising money is difficult. Miller's G.I. Joes always garner interest, she said.

"I think he's (Miller) very dedicated. He wants to do as much as he can for Memorial Hall," Courbat said.

Miller said he wasn't a major collector. Many of his classic toys could be worth hundreds of dollars to the right person, though some are probably worth less than $10. He is not selling them privately.

"The early ones are pretty expensive," said Lee Bertholf, an employee at Caboose Stop Hobbies in Cedar Falls.

During the last few years, Miller has donated or given away about half of his collection. On Christmas day, his 12-year-old grandson laid claim to a few more American heroes -- likenesses of Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. George Patton and Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, to be exact.

As long as Miller can find worthy causes, like the walk-a-thon for the Iowa Veterans Home, to keep reducing the collection, he's happy to do it.

"G.I. Joe, without a doubt, honors our American service men and women," Miller said.