Learning how to drive is a rite of passage. A milestone for adolescents who are becoming young adults. Driving symbolizes freedom and independence, and getting your first car means having all of that. You never forget your first car. For some of us, it can be a bit used up and worn down, for others maybe it’s brand new. For this young man, there’s way more to the story than what meets the eye; it’s a car that is the link to his past.
Justin Rozier was only 9-months-old when his dad, First Lieutenant Jonathan Rozier was killed overseas, not 12 hours after wife Jessica Johns unknowingly had her last conversation updating him about their son. Justin never got to meet his father.
In the time following her husband’s death, Jessica had to sell Johnathan’s car, a 1999 Toyota Celica convertible to makes ends meet. Now, 15 years later, Justin is a young man and ready to learn how to drive. At the age of 16, her son mentioned to Jessica that he wanted his dad’s old car, expressing how good it would feel to have that connection with his father. And mom couldn’t agree more, even though finding that car would be near impossible.
But she didn’t give up and relied on the powers of Facebook to help her get to it. She posted the make, model, its manufacturing number and a background of her story, which caught the eye of Justin Fox, a kind Samaritan who runs the non-profit, Follow the Flag. Fox raised money through donations and volunteers to help restore the car and get it road-ready to surprise the boy and his mother and show up on his 16th birthday. What a fantastic surprise with a great story and reaction.
Click below to watch this lovely tale of a boy who now gets to carry a little piece of his dad wherever he roams.
