Retired U.S. Army Cpl. David Lewis, a South Carolina veteran who was wounded during a combat deployment to Iraq, was scheduled to be presented with a Ford Bronco this week. Lewis, who lives in Ridgeway and is raising his two teenage sons alone after his wife died unexpectedly in 2024, was scheduled to receive the vehicle at the 13th annual Veterans and First Responders Golf Outing in Indian Land, South Carolina, on Wednesday.
The vehicle was sponsored jointly by Mark Ficken Ford Lincoln, Wells Fargo, and the Military Warriors Support Foundation, according to WCNC. Transportation4Heroes is a program of the Military Warriors Support Foundation that awards payment-free vehicles specifically to combat-wounded veterans and to Gold Star spouses whose loved one was killed in action, according to militarywarriors.org.
A Decorated Career Cut Short
Lewis served as an M1A2 armor crewmember with the 4th Infantry Division before later working as an Army recruiter, per WCNC's reporting. He was wounded during his combat deployment to Iraq and was medically retired in 2007. His service earned him the Combat Action Badge, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal, the station reports.
In the years since, Lewis has been left to navigate both his own medical needs and single parenthood. The station's report notes that his wife died unexpectedly in 2024, leaving him to raise his two teenage sons on his own in Ridgeway. The planned Bronco presentation was intended to provide transportation for work, family activities, and medical appointments, according to the same account.
What the Program Promises Beyond the Keys
Lewis will also receive two years of financial mentoring as part of the award, the station notes. Transportation4Heroes provides that mentoring to help veterans build long-term financial stability, according to militarywarriors.org, and nationally the program has paid off more than $30 million in pre-existing debt for participants.
Lewis said the planned gift would bring his family peace of mind and help him support his sons, per WCNC's account. Mark Ficken, of Mark Ficken Ford Lincoln, said the dealership sees its responsibility as extending beyond selling vehicles and that it was honored to support Lewis alongside the foundation and Wells Fargo, the station reports.
One of Nearly 250 Vehicles Nationwide
Transportation4Heroes has awarded nearly 250 vehicles nationwide, according to the station's reporting. The program generally requires applicants to live within a special travel radius of the vehicle, usually within one hour unless otherwise stated, and applicants must not already carry more than one vehicle loan or lease per household, per militarywarriors.org. Eligible veterans must have been wounded during combat or combat training to qualify, the foundation's eligibility criteria state.
Similar handoffs have played out elsewhere this year. In Texas, a veteran wounded in combat in Iraq received a payment-free vehicle during a ceremony at Group 1 Toyota North Austin, according to Barton Creek News. The Military Warriors Support Foundation has also used social media to spotlight other recent recipients, including a surprise vehicle presentation to a former Marine sergeant in Rock Hill, South Carolina, backed by Wells Fargo and a local Toyota dealership.
