A St. Louis-area Army veteran who spent years recovering from injuries suffered overseas is driving away in a brand-new car that he will never have to make a payment on. U.S. Army Specialist Allen “Scotty” Walling received the payment-free vehicle as Veterans Day approaches, a gift organizers say honors his service and sacrifice.
U.S. Bank and the Freedom Alliance presented Walling with the vehicle, according to FOX 2, which reported that the gift came with Veterans Day right around the corner. Walling suffered head and knee injuries while on patrol and carrying equipment for a fellow soldier, the outlet reported. First Alert 4 reported that those injuries occurred during a deployment to Afghanistan and identified the vehicle as a Ford Bronco, which it said was handed over on Tuesday.
A Long Road of Surgeries and Recovery
The same station reported that once Walling returned to the United States, his recovery stretched across multiple procedures. He has had two knee replacements, surgeries on both eyes, and other rehabilitation, per the outlet's account. That recovery, the station noted, took place while Walling was serving as the sole caregiver to his daughter.
Despite the toll of that stretch, Walling said the new vehicle will make a tangible difference for his household. He said his new car will be a big help for him and his family, according to FOX 2's reporting. He also said it is important for veterans to know about organizations that are working to help them.
Part of a Broader Giving Pattern
The Walling donation fits into a pattern of similar gifts U.S. Bank and Freedom Alliance have made to veterans around the country in recent years. In February, the two organizations presented U.S. Army Specialist Michael Villagran with a payment-free vehicle in Houston, according to Freedom Alliance, which reported that Villagran lost his right leg below the knee in 2016 after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan in 2012. Freedom Alliance also detailed a separate presentation to Marine Corps veteran Dustin Gabehart and his family in southern Colorado, where, according to Faricy Automotive, the dealership supplied a new Jeep Grand Cherokee for the family.
In another case out of Gresham, Freedom Alliance reported that a South-Central Washington Iraq War veteran, Army Specialist Tegan Shermikas, was gifted a payment-free vehicle on a Tuesday. That presentation came with an extra touch, as Freedom Alliance noted Shermikas was also gifted a new Kia SUV and a kayak.
Conflicting Counts on the Program's Scale
Exactly how many vehicles U.S. Bank has donated since 2018 is not entirely settled between the two local reports on Walling's gift. FOX 2 reported that the Walling vehicle marked the 106th payment-free vehicle donated by U.S. Bank since 2018 and the 70th conducted in partnership with Freedom Alliance, while First Alert 4 reported that the Bronco was the 107th vehicle U.S. Bank has donated since 2018. The two counts diverge by one vehicle, and neither station's figure can be confirmed as the authoritative total here.
Earlier entries in the same giving program illustrate how the count has climbed over time. Freedom Alliance's own release on the Villagran presentation described that donation as U.S. Bank's 101st payment-free vehicle since 2018 and the 64th in partnership with Freedom Alliance, while Faricy Automotive described the Gabehart donation as the 69th payment-free vehicle Freedom Alliance and U.S. Bank have given to a veteran. For Walling, the specific tally matters less than the outcome: one more veteran, and his family, now have a reliable set of wheels heading into Veterans Day.
