A US NAVY officer called Wallace got the shock of his life when he opened the front door to find a kilted Scotsman brandishing a claymore.
Senior Chief Ivan Wallace did not realise that his wife had secretly entered him into the annual Wallace Sword Raffle.
So when he answered the door at his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the serviceman found himself the proud owner of the 4ft 4in claymore.
Ivan works for the world’s most modern navy, a force equipped with £900,000 tomahawk missiles capable of taking out targets 1,000 miles away.
But Senior Chief Wallace is absolutely delighted with his fearsome 13th Century Scottish weapon, which his namesake used to defeat the English.
The Society of William Wallace organises the annual claymore raffle in the United States, which this year attracted a remarkable 332 entrants.
Ivan said: “I was not even aware that I was entered in a raffle, my wife and kids entered me.
“We love the sword, I was shocked when I actually saw how huge it was.”
Randy Dedrickson, a member of the society, delivered the sword in full Highland dress.
Ivan knows his family has Celtic roots but is now determined to see if he can trace his ancestry back to the great warrior.
“I have always had a love for things Scottish and Scottish design, like the bagpipes, kilts, the highlands – in fact my sons call me Da’.
“I was lucky to have visited the country and went to Glasgow, it was absolutely amazing, the people were one of a kind, the land was amazing, and the food was something special.”
“It would be such a great honor if by chance we were related to such a great man. The fact that he was a great leader and had innovative ways for warfare during his time is truly remarkable.
He added: “The guys at work are amazed by the sword and have asked many questions about it; which leads into lengthy conversations.
“One guy said that he was looking at buying one once before and wanted to know if he could have mine, of course I told him no.”
Around 25 million Americans lay claim to Scottish ancestry. There are more than 200 Highland Games across the US and Canada annually.
The proceeds from the US raffle help the Society to maintain the various Wallace historical sites,
