a mom's tribute to her son

[mandyjo62]

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.

(March 2, 2006)

Karla Comfort received a lot of looks and even some salutes from people when

she drove from Benton, Ark., to Camp Pendleton, Calif., in her

newly-painted, custom Hummer H3 March 2. The vehicle is adorned with the

likeness of her son, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. John M. Holmason, and nine

other Marines with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine

Division who where all killed by the same improvised explosive device blast

in Fallujah, Iraq, in December. For Karla Comfort, having the vehicle air

brushed with the image of the 10 Marines was a way to pay homage to her hero

and his fellow comrades who fell on Iraq's urban battlefield.

"I wanted to let people know (Marines) are doing their jobs honorably, and

some of them die," said the 39-year-old from Portland, OR "I don't want

people to forget the sacrifices that my son and the other Marines made."

Leading up to her son's death, Karla Comfort had received several letters

from him prior to his return. He had been deployed for five months, and

Comfort "worried everyday he was gone until she got the letters and found

out the date he was coming home," she said.

Marines knocked on the front door of her home in Farmington, Mich., at 3 am

with the dreadful news.

"I let my guard down when I found out he was coming home," she said. "There

are times that I still cannot believe it happened. It's very hard to deal

with."

Karla Comfort came up with the idea for the rolling memorial when she and

her two other sons attended John's funeral in Portland, Ore.

"I saw a Vietnam (War) memorial on a car, and I said to my son Josh, 'we

should do something like that for John,' she recalled. "He loved Hummers."

She purchased the vehicle in January and immediately took it to AirbrushGuy

& Co. in Benton, Ark., where artist Robert Powell went to work on changing

the plain, black vehicle into a decorative, mobile, art piece.

"I only had the vehicle for two days before we took it in," she joked.

Two hundred and fifty man-hours later, Powell had completed the vehicle. The

custom job would have cost $25,000. Out of respect for Karla Comfort's loss

and the sacrifices the Marines made, AirbrushGuy & Co. did it for free.

Comfort only had to purchase the paint, which cost $3,000.

"I love it," she said. "I'm really impressed with it, and I think John would

be happy with the vehicle. He would have a big smile on his face because he

loved Hummers."

Karla Comfort gave Powell basic instructions on what to include in the paint

job. But in addition to the image of her son in Dress Blues and the faces of

the nine other Marines, there were several surprises. "He put a lot more on

than I expected," she said. "I think my favorite part is the heaven scene."

On the left side of the vehicle, a detail of Marines are depicted carrying

their fallen comrades through the clouds to their final resting place. The

American flag drapes across the hood, the words, "Semper Fi" crown the front

windshield and the spare tire cover carries the same Eagle Globe and Anchor

design that her son had tattooed on his back.

"All the support I have been getting is wonderful," she said.

Karla Comfort decided to move back to her hometown of Portland, and making

the cross-country trip from Arkansas was a way for her to share her son's

story. It's also her way of coping with the loss.

"Along the way I got nothing but positive feedback from people," she said.

"What got to me was when people would salute the guys (Marines). It's hard

to look at his picture. I still cry and try to get used to the idea, but

it's hard to grasp the idea that he's really gone."

[007hunter]

Re: a mom\'s tribute to her son

I think someone else posted this not long ago....Very Cool though!

[mandyjo62]

Re: a mom\'s tribute to her son

dang, lol, guess i didnt see it if it was since i havent been on here much lately...just thought it was really cool, better send it to my marine brother

[AdvantageTimberLou]

Re: a mom\'s tribute to her son

seen that on the CBS news last month, that is awesome, a rolling tribute to these gentlemen!

[wtnhunt]

Re: a mom\'s tribute to her son

I think Buckee posted pics of this in here last week. A great tribute for sure.