For Karla Comfort, 

having the vehicle air brushed with the image 

of the 10 Marines was a way to pay homage 

to her hero and his fellow comrades 

who fell on Iraq's urban battlefield.

"I wanted to let people know (Marines) 

are doing their jobs honorably, 

and some of them die," 

said the 39-year-old from Portland,

 OR 

"I don't want people to forget the sacrifices

 that my son and the other Marines made."

Leading up to her son's death, 

Karla Comfort had received several letters 

from him prior to his return. 

He had been deployed for five months,

 and Comfort

 "worried everyday he was gone 

until she got the letters 

and found out the date

 he was coming home," she said.

Marines knocked on the front door 

of her home in Farmington, Mich., 

at 3 am with the dreadful news.

"I let my guard down 

when I found out 

he was coming home," she said.

 "There are times

 that I still cannot believe it happened. 

It's very hard to deal with."

Karla Comfort came up with the idea

 for the rolling memorial 

when she and her two other sons 

attended John's funeral in Portland, Ore.

"I saw a Vietnam (War) memorial on a car, 

and I said to my son Josh, 

'we should do something like that for John,

' she recalled.

 "He loved Hummers."

She purchased the vehicle in January

 and immediately took it 

to AirbrushGuy & Co. in Benton, Ark., 

where artist Robert Powell 

went to work on changing the plain, 

black vehicle into a decorative, mobile, art piece.

"I only had the vehicle for two days 

before we took it in," she joked.

Two hundred and fifty man-hours later,

 Powell had completed the vehicle. 

The custom job would have cost $25,000. 

Out of respect for Karla Comfort's loss 

and the sacrifices the Marines made, 

AirbrushGuy & Co.

 did it for free. 

Comfort only had to purchase the paint, 

which cost $3,000.

"I love it," she said.

 "I'm really impressed with it, 

and I think John would be happy with the vehicle.

 He would have a big smile on his face 

because he loved Hummers."

Karl a Comfort gave Powell basic instructions 

on what to include in the paint job.

 But in addition to the image of her son

 in Dress Blues and the faces of the nine other Marines, 

there were several surprises. 

"He put a lot more on than I expected," she said.

 "I think my favorite part is the heaven scene."

On the left side of the vehicle, 

a detail of Marines are depicted 

carrying their fallen comrades

 through the clouds to their final resting place. 

The American flag drapes across the hood, 

the words,

 "Semper Fi" 

crown the front windshield 

and the spare tire cover 

carries the same Eagle Globe and Anchor

 design that her son had tattooed on his back.

"All the support I have been getting is wonderful,"

she said.

Karla Comfort 

decided to move back

 to her hometown of Portland, 

and making the cross-country trip 

from Arkansas 

was a way for her to share her son's story. 

It's also her way of coping with the loss.

"Along the way

 I got nothing but positive feedback from people," 

she said.

 "What got to me

 was when people would salute the guys (Marines). 

It's hard to look at his picture. 

I still cry and try to get used to the idea,

 but it's hard to grasp the idea that he's really gone."

Get this Hummer going around the world!