After coming home from my first semester at college and returning to the familiar leather steering wheel of my dad's Jeep that he so kindly lets me drive I was returned to my favorite community, that is Jeep Nation.

While cruising around I was overwhelmed by my old thoughts surrounding driving and my unanswered questions which include but are not limited to:

1. People with backup cameras need to be more grateful!

2. At night time I presume every car driving behind me to be a cop

and

3. Where did the Jeep wave begin and why?

I love waving to my fellow Jeep drivers as much as the next person, but the culture of it often confuses me. From my own deduction, I have perceived that middle-aged men are the most consistent to follow through with the wave, while middle-aged women are the least consistent to lift their hand from the wheel. I've had countless friends in my passenger seats sitting in awe with the countless amounts of waves one quick drive can consist of, and reminding me to throw my fingers up if I seem to have forgotten. It's an interesting concept, there's no such thing as a Ford wave or a Toyota wave... so where did the Jeep wave come from? That's a rhetorical question, I'm about to tell you.

Verbal tradition has left the origin of the wave a little fuzzy but still, the long-lasting tradition has been around since World War II when Jeeps played the vital roles of rescuing wounded soldiers, carrying supplies, and traveling to and from the front lines. One legend says that as jeeps passed each other the wave that still exists today served as a way to differentiate enemies from allies as a salute that appeared less official. Other stories claim that the wave began right after the war when Jeeps had earned their place in the heart of the nation's finest. Soldiers who had ridden in Jeeps overseas wanted their own on their land. Since so many soldiers owned Jeeps owners began to automatically wave at someone driving in one also as a courtesy. Lastly, others believe the tradition officially began once civilians began to take their vehicles off the roads. "Jeepers" built friendships with one another through the excitement they found in their driving and the community began.

Some people wave their hand out the window, some lift a peace sign, others raise their hold hands. There's no official instructions or right way to execute a jeep wave, in the same way, there is no official origin of the wave that binds a whole community of "Jeepers" together.

My Mom describes Jeeps as "a tin can on wheels", my Dad describes them as, "No frills, simple but functional... the best car ever," and my friend _____ describes them as, " insert" However you feel about the jeep community, the wave is rooted in history and apparently very respectable.