Montiel and his family visited his son’s local coffee shop, Sala Coffee and Wine Bar on Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, on Friday morning, which began normally. Instead, the retired U.S. Marine Corps sergeant and Purple Heart recipient found himself standing in front of a brand-new 2026 Honda CR-V, gifted to him with no payments required.
The vehicle was gifted through Transportation4Heroes, a program run by the Military Warriors Support Foundation, with sponsorship from SoCal Helpful Honda Dealers and Wells Fargo, according to Press Telegram. Montiel, who joined the Marine Corps in 1994 and served 10 years, deployed to Iraq, where he was wounded in combat and later received the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Ribbon. He lives in South El Monte, where he cares for his mother and is raising four children.
Montiel said he could see how people get overwhelmed and added, “I’m kind of speechless,” per the same Long Beach presentation covered by the outlet. Representatives from Mayor Rex Richardson’s office and Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal’s office were on hand to join the surprise, the report notes.
A Program Built to Ease the Transition Home
Transportation4Heroes is designed to hand brand-new, payment-free vehicles to combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star families as they move from military to civilian life. The Military Warriors Support Foundation describes the effort as one piece of a broader mission to support combat-wounded service members, Gold Star spouses and their families, according to militarywarriors.org. The foundation’s program page states that vehicle recipients also receive two years of family and financial mentoring, though a separate account from autoremarketing.com describes the mentorship period as one year — a discrepancy the available sourcing does not resolve…