An Indiana National Guard soldier who spent a year in Iraq returned home to a big surprise: In his absence, his friends had transformed his rusted 1967 Plymouth Barracuda into a deep blue, chrome-trimmed car lover's dream.
Spc. Bob Metcalf, who had stored the rusted, hoodless, fenderless Barracuda in his brother's garage, left for Iraq last year. He had planned to someday fix up the old muscle car.
Friends of the 39-year-old reservist kept their restoration work secret until Friday night. That's when Metcalf wandered into South Bend's Joyce Center to see the Cavalcade of Wheels auto show with his pals.
Metcalf, who returned recently from Iraq, was incredulous when his friends told him that the gleaming deep blue car with red and white stripes sitting under a spotlight was his old car sporting a new look.
"I don't believe it. This is incredible," he said, looking around at the crowd of volunteers and cameras that greeted him at his new ride.
Sean Burns, a friend of the Army National Guard soldier, turned over the keys to him.
"Why don't you go start it up?" he told Metcalf.
The hot-rodded Chrysler 318 V-8 under the hood awoke from its slumber with Metcalf's first turn of the key, settling into a loping rumble.
Metcalf's friends and family had waited a long time to see him sitting in his polished car. Dozens of volunteers had endured six months of busted knuckles, grease and sweat to finish a project they called "one soldier's dream."
Metcalf, a veteran of more than 20 years in the service, had shipped out to Mosul, Iraq, last year for what was originally supposed to be two years in Iraq, but was later cut to one.
After he left, Burns and several of Metcalf's other friends pitched in with work, parts, and cash to make the Barracuda restoration project a reality. They toiled until the early morning hours behind the roll-up steel door in a Mishawaka workshop, fueling up with caffeine and pizza as they worked their magic on every nut and bolt of the old car.
"Everyone I talked to thought it was a great idea," Burns said. "I can't believe what kind of support we found."
Metcalf, who plans to retire from the reserves later this year, has already figured out what he's going to do with his new toy, which remained on display Saturday at the Joyce Center.
"I'm probably going to cruise (U.S.) 20," he said with a smile. "And at some point, I'm going to have to take her out and see what she'll do."
Iraq War Vet Returns Home To Four-Wheeled Surprise
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks