Pat Dollard

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Okay people, this I like.

A U.S. Army soldier stationed in Iraq has won a Ford Mustang. The contest was along the lines of “Submit a photo and a 250 word essay blah blah blah…”

Photo above, essay below. I have my own brief Mustang story, no photo, damn! Here’s my Mustang story…

When I got out of the Coast Guard I lived on Kauai for one summer before leaving forever for “The Mainland”…

For cruising around that summer I bought a 1965 Mustang. It was my second favorite car I ever owned, my fave being my 1979 Camaro Z-28 (Damn, I miss that car, sold it when Mrs. Bash and I got pregnant).

But I loved my Mustang. My sister’s boyfriend at the time helped me install a stereo and he said “Oh yeah, I’m real good at wiring” and so I went fishing and he did the whole set up. Later on I started her up, got on the road, popped in a cassette (this was mid-80′s) and smoke started billowing out from under the dash.

Nice ground job there, Fil.

Anyway, here’s the winning essay:

“A Life Obsession”
Army Specialist Kory Chesher of the 101st Airborne

It started when I was about 6 years old. I was in the truck with my father and we were at a stoplight. Across the road at the other light was this “car.” It drew my attention away from everything else in the world. I asked my dad what it was and he simply said, “Oh, that’s a Mustang.”

I remember it like it was yesterday. I now know that it was a 1968 black Fastback. That was almost 20 years ago. Twenty years of love, addiction, obsession. Twenty years of longing and desire.

Now I’m a solider in the United States Army deployed to Iraq. I spend my spare time tearing through Mustang magazines that my family and total strangers are kindhearted enough to send to me. Every opportunity I get I’m online poring through forums and pictures; studying every little tidbit of knowledge I can get my hands on; meticulously memorizing seemingly insignificant trivia. Names, dates, specs, colors, paint codes, production numbers, costs, anything, everything.

A Mustang of my own wouldn’t quell this life I live – it would supercharge it. The only thing greater than a life loving Mustangs is a life with a Mustang. With a Mustang to call my own I could finally experience the pride and freedom that I’ve only been watching from afar. It will ignite a passion like nothing I have ever experienced. Mustangs are my one true love.

I’m ready to go driving now.

Nods to Steve in NC.