Matt Gillooly found his retirement gift in the form of a rusting hulk of an automobile in a farmer's pasture in Alberta, Canada.

"There were bullet holes in it; it had been used for target practice," Gillooly, a targeting officer with the17th Fires Brigade, said with a smile.

That's just the half of it.  The cost for the bullet-riddled hulk of the 1964 21-Window Deluxe Volkswagen van was $20,000.

Oh, and Gillooly figures this wreck of a VW had 84,000 miles on it before it became a target.

"He texted me," explained Gillooly's wife, Elke.  "I knew he wanted it; he had looked all over for this.  And after four deployments and 17 years in the service, he's earned it."

Gillooly's classic red and white four-wheeled hard-to-find gift looks very nice. 

Everything from the ground up has been rebuilt, rewired, replaced and repainted.  All replaced parts on the vehicle are original.  There are perhaps 150 of these vehicles in the country.

"The interior still needs a bit of work, but we're getting there," he added.

The old-style radio, the simple ignition system, and the hand-crank sunroof all speak of a simpler time in American history.

The engine purrs like a contented cat.

Gillooly's present to himself springs from his childhood experiences in Santa Cruz, Calif.

"It's a surfing town, and every morning I would get up and see the Volkswagen vans parked by the beach," he said. "Besides, my mother owned one, too, and ever since I've been 16 years old I have been attracted to these."

The Volkswagen Type 2 T1 (or Samba) was the first generation of the split window bus.  Production began in early March of 1950 and lasted until 1967. 

The standard bus had 15 windows.  The sunroof deluxe versions had eight skylight windows.  The 21-window version was first produced in 1963.

Finding original parts for his bus has proven to be challenge.

"I have sourced parts from all over the country," Gillooly said. "We've driven all over Washington State looking for parts."

His wife smiled and acknowledged that her husband loves to dig through junkyards.

"We've been in so many places looking for parts," Elke said. "We've driven two hours into the desert just to find a junkyard to look for a part."

Gillooly said that the biggest challenge he faced in restoring his VW was getting the bodywork done.  Once accomplished, he and others have worked quickly to restore the vehicle to pristine condition.

Would he ever think of selling his 1964 21-Window Deluxe Volkswagen?

"I get offers to sell it all the time," Gillooly replied. "But this is my hobby, and working only to sell this would take the fun out of it."