Serving in the United States Military is one of the greatest services you can perform for your country.
No one deserves our respect and gratitude more than the men and women who defend America on a daily basis. The members of our Military possess a wide range of skills and specialties. When I saw what one officer currently serving in the U.S. Army did with his skills, I was completely moved.
Officer Christian Reed is currently stationed in the Middle East. On his days off, he likes to work on DIY projects using scrap materials that are available to him. I found this particular project of his on Instructables. Officer Reed used recycled wood to create one of the most patriotic projects I have ever seen.
Officer Reed's heroic service is only complimented by his amazing willingness to share his upcycle creations and his absolute devotion to America. His DIY undertaking is a truly inspiring piece of patriotism.
Please SHARE if you support such beautiful DIY projects by our men and women in uniform.
Officer Christian Reed is quite skilled when it comes to DIY and upcycle projects. He writes on Instructables, "I am a 2014 Mechanical Engineering Graduate from MIT. I am currently serving as an officer in the US Army in the Engineer Corp."
In preparing for this patriotic DIY project, Officer Reed writes, "The famed New York Master Builder Robert Moses once said, 'Those who can, build. Those who can't, criticize.' Let us fall under the first category and make something to impress even the Master Builder."
Officer Reed decided to build a recycled wood map of America using scrap wood that he had laying around. "This is another Middle East project that I worked on during one of my days off. It can be made from minimal resources using a minimal amount of tools."
Cutting his scrap wood into small shapes like a puzzle, Officer Reed had to battle the Middle East heat. "It was about 114 degrees Fahrenheit when this bad boy was made and it was done in a day."
Once all of his small pieces were perfectly fit together, he glued them. "A hot shot may be able to pressure hold everything in place, but that was not me."
Officer Reed then used a sander to create a smooth and level surface on which to engrave his map of America.
Using a printout of a map of America, he was able to engrave the shape of our country into the wood. He made sure to "go back over the lines again to make them as deep as possible."
Officer Reed joked that spray painting the map portion of the wood may look a bit like vandalism, but it was necessary "to distinguish it from the outsider border."
Using a sander, particularly on the outside edges, Officer Reed was able to remove a large portion of the paint, leaving the map a slightly darker color than the rest of the wood.
And just like that, this American hero created a stunning and patriotic piece of art!
"You now have a fine piece of Americana to hang in your dining room to start conversations with strangers and unknown relatives."
In addition to his brave service to our nation, Officer Reed used his brilliant engineering skills to make a work of art "that is sure to shine red, white, and blue across your dreams."
Please SHARE if you support such beautiful DIY projects by our men and women in uniform.
