Photo By Rick Emert | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Graduates from Caliber Collision Academy unveil the refurbished...... read more read more
By Amber Martin
Garrison Public Affairs Office
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Kevin Gebhart and his wife Jamie, both Army veterans, found themselves struggling to get to work, school and doctor appointments after their 1969 Impala began breaking down.
Five transitioning Fort Carson Soldiers were able to give the Gebharts a helping hand by fixing up a 2016 Nissan Maxima that was presented to the Family March 29, 2019, at The Hub.
“This car is going to make a world of difference,” said Kevin Gebhart. “It’s amazing to see how vets and active duty (Soldiers) still stick together.”
The Soldiers fixed the car as part of the Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP), which partnered with Caliber Collision. Through the program, the transitioning Soldiers receive certification courses, and get real-world training and a career.
“I feel very proud for working on the vehicle,” said Staff Sgt. Omar Aguilar, Delta Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. “If you saw the vehicle two weeks ago it was torn apart. I didn’t even know where to start, but we started putting it together, and it looked beautiful once the painter took care of it.”
Kevin Gebhart transitioned out of the Army in 2016 after serving six years in the Army as an aircraft hydraulics technician. His wife, Jamie Gebhart, served in the Army for seven years. He is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering while his wife is working at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service on Fort Carson. On top of their already busy lives, the couple are expecting their first child in May.
“We were struggling to get her to work and me to school and doctor appointments,” said Kevin Gebhart. “I was missing appointments up in Denver at the VA. It’s a huge blessing to have a car that is going to help me manage my time better and make sure (Jamie) gets to work on time, to appointments for the baby, and make sure I get to school.”
Kevin Gebhart applied for the Soldier’s Angels program in 2018 after his brother told him about it. Recycled Rides donated the car they received in partnership with USAA.
The car the Gebharts received is a refurbished car from one of the large hailstorms that hit Fort Carson last year, said Eric Tompkins, assistant vice president of auto physical damage claims at USAA. While the previously damaged car may have been a momentary headache for another Army Family, it allowed Soldiers to learn some valuable skills while fixing it up, and also blessed an Army veteran Family.
The course the five Soldiers took as part of their transition offered certifications and training in workers’ safety, plastic repair, nonstructural dent repair, trim and hardware, glass removal, automotive foam, metal inter gas seal (MIG) welding, resistance spot welding, MIG brazing and air conditioning repair.
“The course is very intense,” said Aguilar. “There is a lot of training and a lot of hands-on practice, which I loved the most. I’m a person who can’t be sitting down. I have to be running around using my hands and critically thinking about how to disassemble and reassemble something.”
Aguilar has been in the Army for 20 years, serving about 17 of those as an aviation mechanic. He has been assigned a job through the program in San Antonio where he will begin working in May.
“It’s a very comforting feeling,” said Aguilar. “It’s good to know there are entities out there helping Soldiers, and they communicate with other companies what they can provide for other Soldiers in need.”
This article originally appeared on Page 20 of the April 5, 2019, Fort Carson Mountaineer newspaper. It can also be found on the Mountaineer online at https://www.fortcarsonmountaineer.com/2019/04/real-world-training-career-opportunity-sfl-tap-supports-veteran-family/.
| Date Taken: | 03.29.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.27.2019 13:54 |
| Story ID: | 357429 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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