Ohio Auto Shop Leaves Veteran in Disbelief After Receiving Refurbished Car

A U.S. Navy veteran in Lancaster, Ohio thought he was the butt of a joke when a local auto shop informed him he was the winner of a vehicle, the Lancaster Eagle Gazette reports.

ABC Drivetrain Parts and Service, located at 330 S. Broad St. in Lancaster, offered free oil changes to veterans and active service members on Veterans Day. Each of the 66 individuals who received a free oil change that day was also entered into a raffle for a black 2001 Dodge Caliber. 

Shop General Manager Josh Reliford said he got the idea for the raffle from a shop in Texas that he saw on Facebook and thought it was a good way to take care of the veterans in his community.

Walter Rooker, who served in the U.S. Navy from March 1972 to March 1976, received a free oil change from ABC Drivetrain on Veterans Day. A couple of days later, he answered a call informing him that he won the Dodge. 

“I got lucky. I came down for a free oil change. Then they called me a couple days later and told me I got my ticket drawn out of a hat,” recalled Rooker. “I thought maybe because I had the rattiest old car down here for an oil change.”

When he first received the call that he won the car, his first thought was that one of his friends was pulling a prank on him. Now, as he figures out what to do with his old car, he realizes it was anything but a joke.

“I've got some goofy buddies,” explained Rooker. “I didn't know.”