Soldier Returns to Find a Special Gift

From left to right: Rod Voegele, GatorWraps president; Tammy Karl, SSGT Karl’s wife; Koby and Sadie, his kids; SSGT Jacob Karl; and Bear Scharbarth, TAG Motorsports general manager.

Avery Dennison Graphics and Reflective Products Division recently partnered with GatorWraps Inc., in Long Beach, Calif., and Mossy Oak, a West Point, Miss.-based camouflage provider, to give one soldier a memorable return home. Staff Sergeant Jacob Karl returned home from his third tour of duty in Iraq to find his 1997 Ford F-250® truck embellished with a custom vehicle wrap.

According to Tammy Karl, SSgt. Karl’s wife, her husband has a weak spot for Mossy Oak’s Break-Up camouflage pattern. She contacted GatorWraps to see if it was possible to create the special wrap for her husband in time for his homecoming. Avery Graphics, GatorWraps and Mossy Oak teamed up to grant Tammy’s request.

“Being part of this project is very exciting,” says Joel Ross, marketing communication manager for Avery Dennison Graphics and Reflective Products Division. “We are giving back to a soldier and his wife for the sacrifices they have made for our country. Ultimately what we are doing for SSgt. Karl is very little compared to what he has done for us.”

SSgt. Karl has been a U.S. Marine for nearly 13 years and has served as a recruiter. In Iraq, he worked with a unit that trains Iraqi police forces.

“I realize that he is not just our hero, fighting for our freedom and our way of life, but he is their hero too,” says his wife Tammy.

In addition to featuring the Mossy Oak Break-Up pattern, the special wrap also includes a custom design by GatorWraps with the U.S. Marine Corps emblem and silhouettes of U.S. Marines. A shadow of a bull rider also symbolizes SSgt. Karl’s love for the rodeo. The wrap was completed free of charge, and the truck was waiting when he landed at Camp Pendleton.