thedrifter
02-28-08, 01:23 PM
Commemorating sacrifice
Mustang GT transformed into an impressive Marine memorial
By Paul Fallon
Times West Virginian
http://www.timeswv.com/intodayspaper/images_sizedimage_059014758/xl
Wade Linger, owner of Wade’s Garage, stands behind the Ford Mustang GT that was restored as a memorial to Sgt. R.J. Jimenez, who was killed in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. The image of Jimenez gazes forward from the car’s hood. The names of the Marines from Jimenez’s company who were killed with him during Operation Phantom Fury have been placed on the rear window of the car.
PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER / Times West Virginian
PLEASANT VALLEY — R.J. Jimenez was like many boys growing up in the hills and hollows around Belington.
He loved outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. He loved to dress in camouflage and build forts. And while he was growing up, he always wanted to join the Marines.
“I don’t think he would have joined any other branch of service,” said Jimenez’s mother Alesia Swartz.
And when he was 17 years old, Jimenez realized one of his dreams when he joined the Marine Corps. On Nov. 10, 2004, Sgt. Jimenez and 12 other Marines in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment were killed in Fallujah, Iraq, while participating in Operation Phantom Fury.
Swartz and the rest of Jimenez’s family are still coping with the loss. However, the Marine’s mother has come up with a unique way to commemorate her son’s sacrifice.
Jimenez, like many young men and women, loved cars. When he came back from his first tour of duty in Iraq, he purchased a 1992 Ford Mustang GT. He was planning on restoring the automobile when he returned. After his death, Swartz decided to go ahead and restore the car.
“I originally thought I would just restore the car the way he was going to when he got back,” she said. “But then I thought it would be nice to take it further.”
And take it further she did. Swartz got in touch with Wade Linger, owner of Wade’s Garage in Pleasant Valley, and asked him to restore the Mustang. Linger, a veteran of the Air Force whose son was also a Marine who served in Iraq, took on the project with a vengeance, and now the car has been transformed into a movable Marine memorial to Jimenez and the soldiers who lost their lives along with him.
Each individual piece of the car has been removed, painted and then replaced. The center of the car’s wheels have been emblazoned with the eagle, anchor and globe of the Marine Corps. Semper Fi has also been painted on various locations on the vehicle.
Pictures of the fallen Marines have also been placed on the side glass and their names adorn the rear window. However, the center piece of the vehicle is the hood where a portrait of Jimenez was airbrushed by Stonewood artist Brian Barker, owner of B.K. Artworks.
Jimenez’s image was painstakingly painted over approximately a month. Every detail of Jimenez’s Marine picture has been captured, including his gold buttons and Corps emblem on the hat, both of which were made out of gold leaf, Linger said.
Linger’s crew has put 820 man hours of work into the project, and they’re not done yet. He added that the interior work on the car has not begun.
“We’re ordering the same type of camouflage material that his (Jimenez) uniform was made out of,” Linger said.
He said that he does not normally have the opportunity to work on a project of this nature. He normally restores vintage automobiles. However, he pointed out that each car he works on normally has a story behind it.
“And this car really has a story,” Linger said.
Numerous veterans worked on this project, Linger noted. He is a veteran as is Barker. Linger’s son also had a hand in the design of the car. Linger said he undertook the project knowing just how lucky he was. His own son could have been killed in Iraq, and he could have been working on a memorial car in his honor. Linger’s son also owns a Mustang GT.
The car will most likely be officially unveiled sometime in May. Pictures of the car can be found on Linger’s Web site at www.wadesgarage.com under the projects tab.
“It’s just amazing,” Swartz said of the car. “It turned out so much better than we thought it would.”
Swartz said she will be keeping the car. She added that she plans on putting the vehicle in various parades and shows.
E-mail Paul Fallon at pfallon@timeswv.com.
Ellie
Mustang GT transformed into an impressive Marine memorial
By Paul Fallon
Times West Virginian
http://www.timeswv.com/intodayspaper/images_sizedimage_059014758/xl
Wade Linger, owner of Wade’s Garage, stands behind the Ford Mustang GT that was restored as a memorial to Sgt. R.J. Jimenez, who was killed in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004. The image of Jimenez gazes forward from the car’s hood. The names of the Marines from Jimenez’s company who were killed with him during Operation Phantom Fury have been placed on the rear window of the car.
PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER / Times West Virginian
PLEASANT VALLEY — R.J. Jimenez was like many boys growing up in the hills and hollows around Belington.
He loved outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. He loved to dress in camouflage and build forts. And while he was growing up, he always wanted to join the Marines.
“I don’t think he would have joined any other branch of service,” said Jimenez’s mother Alesia Swartz.
And when he was 17 years old, Jimenez realized one of his dreams when he joined the Marine Corps. On Nov. 10, 2004, Sgt. Jimenez and 12 other Marines in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment were killed in Fallujah, Iraq, while participating in Operation Phantom Fury.
Swartz and the rest of Jimenez’s family are still coping with the loss. However, the Marine’s mother has come up with a unique way to commemorate her son’s sacrifice.
Jimenez, like many young men and women, loved cars. When he came back from his first tour of duty in Iraq, he purchased a 1992 Ford Mustang GT. He was planning on restoring the automobile when he returned. After his death, Swartz decided to go ahead and restore the car.
“I originally thought I would just restore the car the way he was going to when he got back,” she said. “But then I thought it would be nice to take it further.”
And take it further she did. Swartz got in touch with Wade Linger, owner of Wade’s Garage in Pleasant Valley, and asked him to restore the Mustang. Linger, a veteran of the Air Force whose son was also a Marine who served in Iraq, took on the project with a vengeance, and now the car has been transformed into a movable Marine memorial to Jimenez and the soldiers who lost their lives along with him.
Each individual piece of the car has been removed, painted and then replaced. The center of the car’s wheels have been emblazoned with the eagle, anchor and globe of the Marine Corps. Semper Fi has also been painted on various locations on the vehicle.
Pictures of the fallen Marines have also been placed on the side glass and their names adorn the rear window. However, the center piece of the vehicle is the hood where a portrait of Jimenez was airbrushed by Stonewood artist Brian Barker, owner of B.K. Artworks.
Jimenez’s image was painstakingly painted over approximately a month. Every detail of Jimenez’s Marine picture has been captured, including his gold buttons and Corps emblem on the hat, both of which were made out of gold leaf, Linger said.
Linger’s crew has put 820 man hours of work into the project, and they’re not done yet. He added that the interior work on the car has not begun.
“We’re ordering the same type of camouflage material that his (Jimenez) uniform was made out of,” Linger said.
He said that he does not normally have the opportunity to work on a project of this nature. He normally restores vintage automobiles. However, he pointed out that each car he works on normally has a story behind it.
“And this car really has a story,” Linger said.
Numerous veterans worked on this project, Linger noted. He is a veteran as is Barker. Linger’s son also had a hand in the design of the car. Linger said he undertook the project knowing just how lucky he was. His own son could have been killed in Iraq, and he could have been working on a memorial car in his honor. Linger’s son also owns a Mustang GT.
The car will most likely be officially unveiled sometime in May. Pictures of the car can be found on Linger’s Web site at www.wadesgarage.com under the projects tab.
“It’s just amazing,” Swartz said of the car. “It turned out so much better than we thought it would.”
Swartz said she will be keeping the car. She added that she plans on putting the vehicle in various parades and shows.
E-mail Paul Fallon at pfallon@timeswv.com.
Ellie