Photo By Staff Sgt. Derrol Fulghum | Army Sgt. Lee McClure, combat medic with the 525th Military Police Battalion, logs...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - An unabashed passion for auto racing has put a Joint Task Force Guantanamo medic in the national spotlight.
Army Sgt. Lee McClure will make his TV debut this summer behind the wheel of a 1962 Chevrolet Nova on the Speed TV series "Pinks."
That notoriety gives McClure his 15 Minutes of Fame.
Lee is the floor noncommissioned officer-in-charge for the Joint Troop Clinic at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. He's the Soldier who takes down basic information and checks patients in when arriving for sick call.
Lee was in his third year of college at Pittsburg State University in Kansas when he enlisted, interrupting his aeronautical engineering degree.
"I always had a fascination for moving parts and anything mechanical," McClure said. "I was the kid that took everything apart."
That fascination lead to his pride and joy — a 1962 Chevy Nova that has been converted into a full-blown race car. Hearing from a friend about the car, McClure bought it in 2007. Although he has raced it in small circuit races, two years and $30,000 later, the 1962 Chevy Nova is ready for Lee's first big race.
"I used to go 'barnstorming,'" McClure said. "I'd throw the Nova in a trailer and drive all over Kansas. I'd compete in one race after another and try to make it back in time for work."
"Pinks" is a show on Speed TV, a channel dedicated solely to racing. The show derives its name from the colored slips of paper — or car title — denoting the owner of a vehicle. Some drivers put pink slips on the line when they race but this show takes a different track.
Amateur drivers from around the country register online and the winner earns $10,000. "Pinks" producers select 500 races to participate in the show.
Hailing from Augusta, Kansas, the 26 year-old combat medic enlisted in the Army after watching the 3rd Infantry Division invasion of Iraq. McClure leans back and looks at the ceiling as he recalls the day he went to see the recruiter.
"I wasn't looking for anything in particular," he said, the lines of his 3rd ID combat patch catching the light in the small doctor's office. "Combat medic sounded really interesting, so I said, 'Sure.'"
For McClure, racing is just a hobby. But the Army is his life. Even though he's only been in for six years, he has plans to eventually retire from the military. For now, he's attending Columbia College and studying education. His post-military career plans include obtaining a teaching certificate and teaching high school history.
"[Guantanamo] is a unique place and serving here has been an invaluable experience," McClure said. "It is a nice change of pace — something you can say you've done once in your life."
After six months at JTF Guantanamo, McClure is in no hurry to leave. After all, he has to earn more money to put into his Nova.
"The car is never complete," Lee said. "I could put another $100,000 in her and still not be done."
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2010 09:33 |
| Story ID: | 45676 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 239 |
| Downloads: | 212 |
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