On Dec. 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy rained bombs and bullets on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack destroyed or damaged dozens of ships, hundreds of aircrafts and thousands of lives. The United States was forced into World War II.

The country would have to venture into a time of uncertainty, pushing through obstacles and hardships to ensure that the forces of good would be victorious in defeating the evil of the world.

Exactly one month to the day before this attack that would change history forever, a tractor was built.

That tractor was the Farmall H — the largest production tractor of its time. It was the staple tractor of Midwest farms.

“Farms tended to be smaller and hillier,” said Jesse Bement, a farmer from Dowagiac. “The H was the ideal tractor to work those farms.”

More than 70 years later, long after the Allies defeated the Axis and long after the Farmall H tractor was replaced by new agricultural technology, that particular tractor, built Nov. 7, 1941, made its way to Tyler Villwock and Hesston Wallace, two students from the Cassopolis FFA Chapter who had one goal: restore the tractor to its former glory.

Bement, a member of the Cassopolis FFA in the late 1990s, provided his time, expertise and equipment to help the boys achieve their goal.

“The tractor was rough, but running,” Bement said. “The brakes were locked up, it had only three tires and the sheet metal was original from ‘41.”

That was in December.

The boys purchased the tractor from a farmer in Berrien County for $1,000 and, for the next seven months, spent more than 200 man-hours tearing the tractor apart, diagnosing what needed to be fixed, finding the parts and fixing the tractor.

“First thing we did was spend about four or five hours with a power washer,” Bement said. “We got down to a clean chassis, and we started troubleshooting.”

The boys spent more than $4,000 on tires, parts and paint from tractor parts suppliers, hardware stores and another Farmall H tractor from which they were able to harvest parts. Through enormous hard work, they rebuilt the tractor, making it look and work as if it were brand new.

They will be auctioning off the completed tractor next week at the Cass County Fair. Carrie George, the boys’ advisor from FFA, said that their goal is to recoup the money spent on the tractor, with any additional money going directly to support the Cassopolis FFA Chapter.

But for Villwock and Wallace, it was never about the money. Both of the boys are colorblind, and both have experienced severe obstacles and hardships in their lives.

Villwock recently had to transfer from Berrien Springs High School to Ross Beatty High School. As Bement explained, Villwock had a tough time fitting in at Berrien Springs.

“I don’t know if it was a cultural difference,” Bement said, “But he struggled in Berrien.”

Wallace suffered hardships that no child should ever have to suffer.

“Hesston’s mother passed away seven years ago in a car accident,” Bement explained. “His father passed away this past October due to medical conditions. “He’s been forced to grow up a lot quicker than he should have.”

Despite the obstacles, hardships and uncertainty in their lives, Villwock and Wallace were able to push through. This project, as Bement and George explained, helped these two young men to discover that nothing is impossible, regardless of initial circumstances, with hard work and determination.

“These two are what farmers are all about,” Bement said. “I really respect them, and I’m very pleased to do this project with them. We’ve had a good bonding experience.”

“The project has been great for both (of the boys),” George said.

The tractor will be on display at the Cass County Fair Antique Tractor tent, located on the north side of the fairgrounds near the beef barn. It will be auctioned off prior to the Large Animal Auction on Thursday, Aug. 6, at approximately 9:45 a.m.

Those who are not interested in purchasing the tractor but still want to help can be part of the Cassopolis FFA Tractor Restoration Buyer’s group. To make donations this way, contact Carrie George at (269) 684-2592 or Cheryl Rogers at (269) 921-0088.

Through hard work and determination, Tyler Villwock and Hesston Wallace transformed their dark, trying circumstances into something much brighter — defeating the Axis powers in their own lives.