GIFT OF A LIFETIME — Former Weirton resident Jim Baird is giving away his 1966 Chevrolet Corvette to an American veteran, who will be determined Aug. 31 through a contest. Letters were written and submitted on country singer David Ball’s website. The singer’s 2001 song “Driving with Private Malone” is what inspired Baird to give away his vehicle of 46 years. -- Contributed

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — It’s one thing to win a car on a game show or through a charity drawing.

It’s entirely another when you receive one from a total stranger.

But this is not your ordinary, everyday sedan or minivan.

No, this is something more … much more.

It is the gift of a lifetime.

SERVICE A BIG PART OF BAIRD’S LIFE — Jim Baird served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He was a helicopter pilot who purchased his car from a man with the same job in the same war. The car’s first owner was also a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War. -- Contributed

A pristine, 1966 red Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible will soon be given to a United States veteran, who applied through an online contest.

Yet, the question remains, why would anyone give away their ’66 Corvette — a car valued at approximately $100,000 — to someone they have never even met?

Why would they part with something that has provided them with so much joy and so many memories throughout the last 46 years?

Those answers can be found within the lyrics of a 2001 country song written by Thom Shepherd and Wood Newton, and sung by country artist David Ball.

Former Weirton resident and retired Army Maj. Jim Baird, a 1965 graduate of Follansbee High School, is the owner of the Stingray.

LOVE FOR FLYING — Jim Baird, a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, went on to fly 22 years for American Airlines. The captain always treated military men and women flying his airline with respect and as a hero. He swore never to have someone make him feel as poorly as a United flight made him feel when returning home to escort his best friend, who was killed while serving. -- Contributed

Well, it’s third owner anyway.

Baird, who lived in the Ohio Valley until he was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War, now resides in Chambersburg, Pa., with his wife of 54 years, Linda.

The two met shortly after he returned home from the war, as she worked with his brother in the financial aid department of an area university.

Baird said he is letting go of his dream car in the hopes of letting another veteran possess a dream car of their own.

It was a decision he had been contemplating for some time, he noted.

Then his mechanic’s wife, Debbie, told him he needed to listen to a particular song, a song that would later help him to make his final decision.

“Riding with Private Malone,” tells the story of a soldier who, upon returning home, sees an ad for a car.

He responds and pulls off its cover to find a Corvette underneath, a Chevy is being sold by the wife of Pvt. Andrew Malone.

After buying the car and driving away from the house, the soldier finds a note placed in the car’s glove compartment.

It reads: “He said, my name is Private Andrew Malone and if you are reading this, then I didn’t make it home. But for every dream that’s shattered, another one comes true. This car was once a dream of mine, now it belongs to you. And though you may take her and make her your own, you’ll always be riding with Private Malone.”

Baird could relate to those words. They touched his heart in ways one will never know.

You see, it wasn’t through this song, but rather, through his very life, and his time piloting helicopters amidst the gunfire and war zones in Vietnam, that Baird lost his best friend in the war.

A man by the name of Richard “Steve” Bovio.

He explained there were times he was driving his convertible and Steve seemed to be riding alongside him, too.

Baird recalled how cool Steve used to be. So much so, that he wanted nothing more than to be just like him.

The two kept in contact with one another while serving until they didn’t.

Baird had called for Steve and was told he was in the hospital.

By the time he received word, though, and arrived at his room, he was ushered out into the waiting area and learned Steve died.

He had been too late … too late to tell his friend goodbye. Too late to let him know that he was there.

That moment has remained with Baird to this day. He is now 78 years old.

Baird recalled how Steve’s new bride requested that should anything go terribly wrong in the war, that he be the one to bring him home.

And he did.

In 1970, Baird was granted permission to escort his best friend home.

Riding aboard a United flight, he was met with cruelty and backlash, which veterans of the Vietnam War experienced when they came home.

Baird remembered how a stewardess even told him there wasn’t a meal for him, despite his coming aboard as an escort.

Baird vowed he would never treat a veteran the way he had been treated following the war, following that plane ride home to help bury his best friend.

And he kept his word.

Having served 22 years as a captain with American Airlines, anytime a service member flew aboard his plane, Baird would make an announcement over the public address system.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have an American hero flying with us today,” he would say. And all of the passengers on board would applaud.

He said whenever a first-class seat was available, it would be offered to a service man or woman on board. Baird added how people flying first-class would sometimes give up their seat to a soldier.

He expressed he is grateful that times have changed.

Baird recalled when he first bought the car. It was in 1979 and it was from the Corvette’s second owner.

Just like Baird, the man selling the car served as an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam.

He said the car was being sold because the man was going through a divorce and he needed the money.

For $3,800 and Baird’s Vega station wagon, he could buy the Corvette.

It was a deal he couldn’t pass up, despite Linda asking what in the world they would do with a Corvette.

Baird made the deal, walking away as its third owner.

The car’s first owner was a Burgettstown man, who, as coincidence would have it, was a helicopter pilot who served in Vietnam.

The odds? As if it was meant to be.

The car had been blue when Baird purchased it, he stated.

And then, one day, someone decided to key the car.

Needing to have it painted, Baird decided that this time, he would paint it red.

While the car has been kept in the Bairds’ garage when not in use, the couple has made the most of it during the almost five decades they have been in possession of it.

Never letting it sit unused, it has brought them and countless others joy throughout the years. Even strangers have taken it for a spin, he said.

Baird recalled a woman who was admiring his car asked if she could sit in it. Her two daughters approached the scene and asked if they could sit in it as well.

Baird asked if they would like to drive it, to which they did not hesitate.

After being gone a while, Baird said to the girls’ mother, a stranger, “Do you think they are ever gonna come back?”

Yes, Baird has allowed anyone to drive his car that wants to — as long as they know how to drive a stick shift.

He recalled being on an open road and reaching speeds of 120 mph. After a while, he slowed in order to accommodate the flashing red and blue lights that had been driving behind him. Moments later, a second police vehicle arrived. It was then Baird began to get nervous. At least until he discovered the officers only wanted to admire his car.

It has indeed been a wonderful 46 years spent with his Corvette. But now, it is time for another veteran to have their experiences with it.

That is, after all, what the car is meant for, Baird said. He explained how once he decided to give away his car, he went online to Ball’s website and wrote to his manager.

Days later, he received a response and explained his story, along with the background of its previous owners and why he is doing this for a fellow veteran.

The Bairds, along with the help of Ball and his manager, will select the person from those who have entered the online contest.

Those nominating a veteran had to include their name, phone number, address, e-mail, rank and where they served.

They then had to write and explain why they felt their nominee should be the recipient to win the car.

The Bairds will drive to Nashville and meet the contest winner, presenting him or her with their new vehicle during an event that will take place on Aug. 31 at the Texas Troubadour Theater in Nashville.

The theater has donated its center for the occasion.

Ball will be singing the song “Riding with Private Malone,” during the presentation.

The car will arrive at its destination in a tractor-trailer that has been donated to ensure nothing happens to it in transport.

When asked if there is a possibility the vehicle’s new owner will find a letter in its glove compartment, Baird said it is a pretty good idea and a strong possibility.

“I think we will,” he concluded. “It is a big part of why we are doing this.”