He refused to talk to his mother after she sold his late father's car - a soldier who died in battle. Or at least so he thought..

Sergeant Nick Walsh really loved his car. You could say he was crazy about his car - a 1991 Ford Bronco. He loved it so much that he made a vow that one day he would pass it on to his son.

But in 2007 a terrible thing happened - when Sergeant Walsh was killed during a military operation in Iraq. He was only 26 years old. His son, Tristan, was 4 years old.

Julie, Tristan's mother, kept the car - but the years did its thing and the car's condition deteriorated, and Julie knew that soon the car would no longer be useful. She decided to post a detailed post on Facebook and asked for help. Should she sell the car to someone before it no longer had any value at all? Or maybe it's better for her to keep the car as a memory with an emotional value?

But Tristan never dreamed of the decision she would make ..

As the rumor spread, local businesses got interested as well as mechanics and car dealers who offered Julie help in renovating Sergeant Walsh’s car for free.

The big surprise

Julie wanted to surprise Tristan on his 16th birthday, and took it a step further when she told him she was planning to sell the Ford Bronco car so she could buy him a working car to ride with.

Tristan was very sad. He wanted to drive in his late father's car so much. It was so much more to him than just a car. And he was so heart broken by his mother's decision that he stopped talking to her for two weeks. Deep down, Tristan felt the car brought him closer to his heroic father - and he just could not understand how his mother was willing to get rid of it so easily.

But Julie of course planned everything, and also filmed the whole thing.

In the video below you can see Julie taking Tristan to buy a car - when he is convinced that they are just going to buy a car.. but wait for the moment of surprise. It's worth it all!

That was definitely moving to tears. Rest in peace Sgt. Walsh, we hope Tristan will enjoy your car as much as you did.

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