Afghanistan Marine sends 7ft ice sculpture of himself to his sister, 11, for the holidays

(Daily Mail) — An American Marine stationed in Afghanistan couldn’t make it home for Christmas – so he stunned his family by sending them an ice statue of himself.

The 7ft sculpture of 1st Lt. Neil Bucken holding an actual red rose arrived late Wednesday at his relatives’ home in New York, a day before his 11-year-old sister’s birthday, and in the nick of time for Christmas.

Bucken, 27, has been stationed in Afghanistan for nine months and has been home on leave only once so far. His sister Sullivan has grown four inches taller since he left.

The ice work was created by Vincent Nuzzolese, owner of the Nuzzolese Brothers Ice Corp. in Hicksville, Long Island, who used a photograph of the marine to create the likeness.He was so moved by Lt Bucken’s story he waived his usual £650 fee. ‘It was a given as soon as I got the phone call – I said this is something I want to do,’ Nuzzolese said.

‘It’s a special Christmas for us on this end, too, that we could help somebody else like this.

Half the family was all bawling their eyes out,‘ said his mom, Donna McBrien, a physician who lives in Hawaii, but who returned to New York for the holidays. ‘It was just amazing. It was very touching.’

The finishing touch was having a photo of him and his sister, both smiling in Honolulu, incased in the base of the giant sculpture.