This is my nephew one day in July hanging out at my house before an Independence Day parade. Even though today, his height towers over me, this is the loveable brat I still see.
When he was out of high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps and decided to make it a career.
A little more than a year ago, when he started the countdown til having 20 years of service in (Twenty Years!!! Wow!), I decided I wanted to do something special as a gift for him to let him know I was proud of him, and to congratulate him on his retirement. Twenty years is a long time to be at the mercy of not knowing where you may be sent next and not knowing what he was going to be tasked to do once he got there. It's an impressive commitment of mammoth proportions.
I wanted the gift to come from something we have in common so every time he saw it/used it, he'd remember his ol' auntie.
I remembered back to the day I took him shooting when he was home for a visit...
We were shooting at "Zombie" targets and joked about all the zombies that needed killin'.
Not long after, he sent me these (ha!);
I decided I wanted the gift to be... a firearm.
Not just any firearm... one blinged up with some USMC stuff.
First, I bought the rifle.
A Smith & Wesson M&P sporterized AR15
Once I started looking around, I found what I wanted to change...
I ordered these pivot pins that don't need tapped from the opposite side to get them out...they're knurled so you just grab and pull. Plus a little EGA (Eagle Globe & Anchor) bling;
I knew he liked the Infidel thing, because a year or so back I bought the last shirt with that on it from G.I. Joe's store and when I posted a picture of it, he asked me if I could get one for him to match the patches on his gear. I sent it to him.
I knew I'd have to put something with that on this rifle.
I found it! An extended magazine release...too cool!
Things were starting to come together when I found a case just like mine, but in digital camo instead of black. I love that case...it's SUPER dense foam with roomy pockets and that ballistic weave water-resistant stuff. It's awesome!
When I went to the Air Force museum in July, I picked up a pull tab for the zipper.
You aviation bugs know ;)
It was getting to the point that I couldn't contain my secret. I was really excited all of it was starting to come together! I started telling people, but with the caveat that they keep their mouths shut...especially on Facebook...so none of my family would find out and accidentally let the secret slip. I think half the state knew I was working on this...but nobody in my family! I asked questions on forums about switching out the pieces and got info/advice from customers at the store where I work...tons of other people knew! Hahaha!
A friend of mine was getting into a company that was making these cleaning kits that fit in a leak-proof mag shaped slider box, and they fit in the mag pouch of your case... this is one of the few prototypes, and he gave it to me to include with the rifle accessories I was starting to get gathered up.
Probably the sneakiest thing I had to do was ordering what was laser-engraved on the charge handle spine.
There were SO MANY quotes to pick from... I'm a fan of all those Chesty Puller quotes. And many of them would have fit perfectly. I ended up telling my nephew that I was changing a rifle for someone (true) who was already a retired (not so true) Marine (true), and if he was doing it for himself, what would he get on his own? He said "Once a Marine, Always a Marine".
Done!!
I ordered it...and waited and waited and waited.
There were a couple issues and I thought for sure this was going to do me in time-wise.
But JUST in the nick of time...it arrived!
Charge handle in!
With the help of a co-worker who had all the AR smithing tools;
EGA pivot pins in! Over-sized Infidel mag release in!
It was looking good coming together and not a moment too soon!
The day was fast approaching when he was going to come visit me for "breakfast out" and to pick up his present. This is where I decided to be a little evil. Mwuahaha...
I purchased a range pass for him to the place where I'd taken him to shoot. It's good for one year.
I put it in a "congrats" card and then I bought one of these bouncing targets that re-seal themselves so they can take hit after hit, into the thousands, from everything from .17 to 50 cal!
I put the target in a box and wrapped it up with THIS paper. Not even kidding. HeeHee
When I showed him the box, I kept saying how excited he was going to be and how much he was going to love this present...I clapped my hands and said "Open it!Open it!OPEN it!!"...
When he did, I said "Isn't that great?? A re-sealing target and a year at the range! How awesome is THAT?!"
He smiled and nodded and said it was pretty awesome.
I asked if it was a good retirement gift and he said "yes"...
Awww...what a good kid!
I let him off the hook...sort of! I said, "That's not your real present. This is..." and I pulled the cardboard Smith & Wesson box out of the hall closet. But then I said, "Don't be thinking there's an actual gun in there...I work in a store where I can just get the boxes, you know?"
He said, "Oh,yeah...I know. There's not a gun in there, I'm sure."
But then there was.
His eyes were kind of saucers at that point and he said (not even kidding) "Uh...is it REAL?"
Is. It. Real.
HA HA HA!!!
I told him it was indeed real, and that it would probably be best to get a case for it and cleaning stuff and some extra mags and ammo...but then I pulled out the case and accessories and such.
I said "Show me your WAR FACE!!"
It's kind of smiley for a War Face, but I'll take it!
Like a BOSS!
Love that kid.
If it hadn't been pouring buckets of rain, we'd have run to the range.
Well...that just gives him a reason to come back and spend another day making his crazy ol' auntie happy.
Congrats on 20 years, Marine.
You made your whole family proud.
Semper Fi.
