ESCONDIDO: Marine returns to refurbished ride

Wife masterminded project in husband's absence

By JOHN RAIFSNIDER - For the North County Times | Thursday, August 7, 2008 8:37 PM PDT ∞

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Blame it on jet lag, excitement over seeing his family again, or just being glad to be back on U.S. soil. Whatever the reason, Jake Karl's reaction was a bit subdued Thursday when he first glanced at his refurbished truck, upon his return to Camp Pendleton after seven months in Iraq.

But only for about 30 seconds. After Karl, who lives with his family in Escondido, made a circuit around his truck ---- which was hidden in a nearby parking lot ---- it hit him, and the Marine Corps staff sergeant was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

"Oh my gosh ---- I can't believe this is my truck," said Karl, of his refurbished 1997 Ford F-250 Super Crew 4X4 pickup.

"This is unbelievable, this is incredible," he said. "This is so much more than I ever expected. Wow. I'm leaving my shades on so you guys can't see me crying."

Karl's wife, Tammy, had masterminded an effort to have her husband's truck wrapped in a camouflage graphic and updated with new interior components, new wheels and tires, a new turbo kit and repaired suspension. She accomplished nearly all of those tasks without a word leaking to her husband, and even got several companies to pitch in and donate a good portion of the cost in material and labor.

"He knew we were going to have a few things done to his truck while he was in Iraq," his wife said.

"The graphic was something we were working on getting when he left, but we ran into a snag getting it done, so as far as he knew, it wasn't going to be what he wanted. But that changed after he left."

That was also when she stopped telling her husband the truth about the truck, Tammy Karl said.

"Normally, I can't lie to my husband, because he can see right through me. So when he would call, I'd try to change the subject or dance around answering his questions about his truck. That was really difficult for me. I hated not telling him the truth, but I wanted to surprise him."

She managed to get several companies to help ready the truck for her husband's return, among them, Gatorwraps, a company based in Las Vegas that wraps vehicles in special vinyl graphics. The company donated the graphic and the labor to install the colorful Mossy Oak camouflage.

A local company helped, too. TAG Motorsports in Escondido repaired the truck's suspension system, correcting a problem the Karls have had since they bought the truck three years ago.

"This truck has never driven as nice as it does now, after TAG fixed it," said Tammy Karl. "Now you can actually steer it into a parking spot."

Jake Karl said he could look past his wife's fracturing of the truth while he was away.

"I knew she wasn't giving me the straight scoop," he said. "I can tell when she's not being honest with me, even over the phone.

"She was up to something, I knew that, and I thought it had something to do with my truck. I just never imagined that she was up to this. This is incredible."

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