Thanks for a soldier: New life for 'Old Green'

A week ago, Chris Kipp, a Montana National Guard soldier on leave from Iraq, received an amazing gift of gratitude from his close friends and most of the town of Eureka.

When he arrived in Eureka, Kipp and his wife, Roseann, found about 90 people at a barbecue waiting with a “Welcome Home Chris” banner — plus a big secret stashed in a garage.

Tim White, his close friend, and several others had been planning this moment for months. White’s son Kellen, 20, was deemed the only person who could get through a little speech, thanking Kipp for his service to the country.

“We figured he could do it but he even had to collect himself a couple of times,”  White said.

As Kellen struggled, Kipp walked up and put his arm around him. Then the moment arrived for the payoff of months of work by his friends and donations from the community.

Like a dramatic moment from a reality show such as “Pimp My Ride,” the garage door rose revealing the truck Kipp had dubbed “Old Green.”

Instead of a rusty wreck, however, Old Green was shining and as perfect as the day in 1970 when the half-ton, four-wheel-drive Chevy rolled on to the showroom floor.

“He didn’t have a clue — he was speechless,” Tim White said. “It couldn’t have gone better. It was perfect.”

No one had a dry eye as Kipp and his wife got in and took a test ride down the road. White said Roseann reported back that he then broke down with emotion.

Old Green was restored and Kipp had a vehicle of his own to enter in the Koocanusa Rides Car Club’s annual Ksanka Kruise-In car show on Saturday at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds (see related story).

“Chris and his family have been members since the club was in existence,” White said. “They never had a car of their own. They haven’t been able to afford something nice enough, what with raising a family and leaving with the guard full time.”

Kipp and his wife have three children. When not in serving with the Guard, he serves as the manager of the Lincoln County Landfill in Eureka.

When his unit left for a second deployment to Iraq last September, the town felt the loss. Eureka Mayor Ethel White, Tim’s mother and the car club treasurer, described Kipp as an awesome young man who always is ready to help anyone.

“What can I say — we all love him,” she said.

 Tim White recalled that the idea emerged while on a drive with his wife when they saw an old vehicle parked by the side of the road. They discussed how much fun it would be to fix up.

“Then my wife said, ‘Roseann wants to do something with Old Green,’” White said. “I made some calls to his closest friends, then we had a little get together.”

A core group formed including White, his son Zach, Chris Brunner, Verl Larson, Ed Sutherland and Cecil Goff. The original concept of a “light restoration” with amateur body work and a paint job got lost in their enthusiasm.

“The next thing we knew, we had it torn down to the bare frame,” White said. “It was one of those things, once you get started, where do you stop?”

They began to contact local organizations and talked to the town newspaper about their project. Before long, donations came in and people called wanting to help.

Local parts houses put up flyers for donations and provided discounts.

“It just exploded,” White said. “It was overwhelming.”

He said the VFW, where Kipp is an active member, really stepped up and got the project off the ground. Members asked how much money he needed.

“They gave $2,000,” White said. “I would have been happy with $200.”

Various people worked on the project every weekend from January to June. During the week, White said, people dropped by to tinker.

White said they got lucky with the truck bed. A canopy and carpet had protected the original wood from the sun and water for decades.

“All we had to do was refinish it,” he said. “It’s really rare to have the original wood in it.”

Big tires were sold to them at cost. Ted’s Body Shop donated all the labor for the factory green professional paint job.

“They did a beautiful job,” he said.

On the Thursday before the barbecue, volunteers gave the car a final cleaning and polishing for the presentation that happened just as White had envisioned. White said Kipp has come up to his house every day since to work on his demolition derby car and to gaze at his new truck.

“He just keeps walking around it,” White said with a laugh.

Kipp will have his truck in the Ksanka Kruise-In car show on Saturday. A photo of the restored truck graces a poster for the Kruise-In. On Sunday, he will try to recapture his 2010 victory in the demolition derby.

The public is invited to attend either event for free and meet the man who inspired a town to come together to thank a soldier. White said it was fun for him to meet Kipp’s friends and so many other giving people in Eureka.

“I’d do it all again,” he said. “I have no regrets.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com .