Soldier's Beloved Car Restored

01.20.2010

Courtesy Story

1st Medical Brigade

By Jade Ortego

Due to his wife's efforts and the donations of area residents, a Fort Hood soldier and philanthropist received a big surprise Saturday when his beloved 1987 Volkswagen Scirocco, which he called "POS" and "the beast" due to its disrepair, was unveiled, completely restored.

Sgt. 1st Class Terry Mason returned from Iraq, Dec. 16, and his wife, Tina Mason, told him that his car was getting repaired and would be done today.

Tina Mason said that her husband always puts others' needs above his own. He was back in the U.S. for less than 24 hours when he invited a wounded soldier to his home for dinner to talk about his problems, she said.

"In his own time, not as an American soldier but as an American, my husband took it upon himself to help others," she said.

She said he saved more than 200 wounded soldiers' families from divorce by inviting them into their home and making them a part of their family.

Mason sold the car to help with expenses following the death of his daughter several years ago, but was able to purchase it back. Since then, he tried to renovate the vehicle, but ultimately decided to have it sold when he left for Iraq to raise money for a Wounded Warrior program.

"He told me, 'Sell the car, honey. There's so many people that need us,'" she said.

"I refuse to sell this man's dream after everything he has done for so many people. There's no way."

The six-month renovation cost $10,000. Tina Mason paid $3,000

herself, and the rest came from fundraising activities, including a poker tournament, car washes, raffles and donations, she said.

Tina Mason said she would approach people and tell them her husband's story, and ask if he was there, would they buy him a beer or a cup of coffee.

They would say yes, and she'd say, "Then give me that $4 and let me put it toward this fund, and let's make his dream come true," she said.

"Nobody in these times can afford to pay $100 or $1,000, but everybody can afford $4 for a soldier," she said. "I like to say that I made it happen one beer at a time."

The workers who modified the fire-engine red car painted it black cherry, she said, and added a new stereo system, upholstery, tires and rims, and other embellishments.

On the back, they painted, in black, a saying Mason always tells his soldiers, "Always do what's right, not just when people are looking."

• Date Taken: 01.20.2010
• Date Posted: 01.20.2010 10:58
• Story ID: 44167