Client 257 - From One Purple Heart to Another

We often say “it’s not us, it’s our clients that are the heroes.” Want proof? Yesterday we were honored to gift a vehicle to a local Army veteran, Rocky, who served eight years as a Combat Engineer in Iraq, earning two Purple Hearts after surviving multiple bombings. Today he works full-time for the City of College Station in irrigation, but his commitment to service hasn't dimmed. His advocate describes him simply: "He is a God-fearing man, who prays daily and has a very kind and generous spirit. He loves to feed the homeless and I have seen him go up to homeless people and buy them food.”

Rocky's dedication extends to providing for his children, but two years ago that battle intensified when his transportation collapsed. He'd financed a used truck from a small dealership. Two months later, the transmission failed, wires shorted out, and the AC broke down. A mechanic looked at the vehicle and concluded it was like flooded but then sold as “clean.” Even worse, the dealership had already filed bankruptcy and disappeared, leaving Rocky with no recourse and no remedy.

Honest to his core, Rocky continued making loan payments on a worthless vehicle while relying on Uber and friends just to reach work. His war injuries made climbing into borrowed cars painful. This veteran desperately needed a hand up.

Enter Pamela Edwards from TAMU Agrilife Extension who'd been helping Rocky with rides and nominated him to OnRamp. We knew immediately he deserved assistance and began searching for an SUV. But how would we pay for it? Fortunately, our wonderful partners at Brazos Valley Cares, a local veterans assistance group, heard Rocky's story and committed immediately to pay the bill!

And now for the best part. Our vehicle locator, Joe Dewolf, is actually a 20-year retired Army veteran who also received two Purple Hearts on his multiple combat tours! He now works from Colorado finding reliable cars for OnRamp (Colorado has much better deals than Texas at the moment). Like Rocky, Joe rarely discusses his service, but when Rocky's donation day arrived, Joe insisted on coming to College Station to meet Rocky, swap stories filled with military acronyms we civilians can’t make heads or tails of, and personally hand Rocky keys to a reliable, one-owner Toyota RAV4.

Two double-purple-heart Army vets - Rocky (left) receiving the keys to his new Rav4 from Joe (right).

By God's grace and Army perseverance, Rocky enters Christmas with dependable transportation, able to work, care for his kids, and continue serving his community without transportation anxiety. This is what love looks like: one hero helping another hero thrive, all made possible by a community that truly cares.

257 families served. Countless lives transformed.