Custom Rifle Engraving for the 10th Annual Danny Dietz Memorial Classic [Firearm Engraving Case Study]
photo via the Navy Seal Danny Dietz Foundation Website
At Engrave It Houston, we appreciate all our customers and enjoy the chance to work with anyone who comes through our doors. However, sometimes we get the chance to work on something extra special. And, in those situations, it really helps remind us why it is we got into this business in the first place. So, when the guys from Lohman Gunsmithing here in Houston came in with a special project for the Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Foundation, the week before Memorial Day, the whole shop was humming with energy and excitement.
What is the 10th Annual Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic?
photo via dannydietzmemorial.com
“Nine years ago, event coordinator Danny Quinlan met Gunner's Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz's wife, Patsy at an event where she was speaking about her husband's life in the SEAL Teams andOperation Red Wing; where on June 28, 2005, four of America's most elite warriors were conducting a reconnaissance mission in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan and came under fire, ultimately taking three of the four men's lives. Mr. Quinlan approached Patsy with the idea of bringing together the exciting sport of team roping with the SEAL community in an effort to honor her husband. … Proceeds from the weekend's events benefit The Navy SEAL Foundation, and The Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Foundation. Make sure to check out the official site for the movie LONE SURVIVOR.”
- information via www.dannydietzmemorial.com
The Project - A Personalized Rifle Including a Custom Laser Engraving of the Organization's Logo
hand-guard stencil work by Lohman Gunsmithing
Recently, Levi from Lohman Gunsmithing here in Houston, TX came by the shop with a special project they've been working on in partnership with the Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Foundation.
Each year, on the anniversary of the day Danny laid down his life, the Danny Dietz Foundation holds their annual event in remembrance and celebration of the life Danny lived and the values he held dear. (The 17 Founding Principles of the Danny Dietz Foundation.) This year marked the 10th anniversary of the annual Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic. In addition to the awesome memorial anniversary t-shirts the Danny Dietz foundation had created in honor of the event, they also commissioned Lohman Gunsmithing - and Engrave It Houston by extension - to personalize a custom rifle for the event as well.
To begin, Lohman Gunsmithing took the rifle and tricked it out with some custom stencil work. Levi and the team of pros over at Lohman's took a Bazooka Green Noveske and customized it with a distressed American Flag stencil (from Freedom Stencils) to add some custom detailed paint work to the rifle's hand-guard. A subtle, but stunning detail that really made the rifle unique and attention grabbing.
Once that had been done, and the paint was good and dry, Levi headed over to EIH with the rifle for us to begin the second stage of the personalization process: a custom laser engraving of the Danny Dietz foundation logo on one side of the gun’s stock, and the names of the members of Operation Red Wings on the other.
At Engrave It Houston, our in-house team of highly-skilled production technicians give 110% to every project that comes through our doors. But, we always relish the chance to work on a particularly special project such as the rifle for 10th annual Danny Dietz memorial event. So, we were ecstatic when we learned we would get the opportunity to help finish off this personalized rifle project with some custom laser engraving!
At EIH, we've done custom engraving projects for the Danny Dietz foundation before, including a custom laser engraved guitar head with the Dietz foundation logo. They are an excellent organization with an admirable mission statement, and Engrave It Houston is always proud for the opportunity to partner with them on any project. That sentiment only increases when the project is for something like the 10th Annual Danny Dietz Memorial Classic. Watching as our in-house laser equipment etched the Danny Dietz logo into the stock of this beautiful rifle, there was the solemn, almost reverential reminder of why exactly it is we do what we do at Engrave It Houston: