U.S. Bank, Freedom Alliance and Faricy Partnership: Honoring Colorado Springs Veterans with a New Ride
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dustin Gabehart and his family received a brand-new, payment-free vehicle this month — the 69th donated to a veteran through Freedom Alliance and US Bank.
In partnership with Freedom Alliance and US Bank, Faricy Automotive supplied a new Jeep Grand Cherokee for Dustin and his family — a vehicle with the room, the all-weather capability and the safety that a Colorado family actually uses, year round.
Corporal Dustin Gabehart
Gabehart served as a Corporal on a Marine Corps route clearance team — the units responsible for clearing travel routes, recovering disabled vehicles, and guiding other units through. It is among the most dangerous work in a combat zone, and it is done so that everyone behind you gets through safely.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. An improvised explosive device left him with injuries that have required twenty separate surgeries. He was medically retired from the Marine Corps in November 2015.
He came home to Colorado and, for the last seven years, has volunteered as a football coach at La Junta High School — which says something about the kind of person he is. Twenty surgeries, and he spends his falls on a practice field with other people’s kids.
The Kids Had No Idea
The whole family was honored, and his children had no idea what was coming.
“My kids had no idea, and today it was so hard to keep a secret because I was so excited and I wanted to tell them — but we were able to keep it together, and then when we showed up they were ecstatic.”
— Dustin Gabehart, to KRDO13
Dustin and his son in the driver’s seat of the Grand Cherokee.
“We are overwhelmed with joy, and we’re so thankful that the community was able to come together and do this for myself and my family.”
— Dustin Gabehart, to KRDO13
The 69th Vehicle
This is the 69th payment-free vehicle Freedom Alliance and US Bank have donated to a veteran. Sixty-nine families, each one a version of the same afternoon.
“Just a wonderful time when you can help, not only a Marine and combat veteran, but when his family is part of it as well — and to see the joy on their faces.”
— Tom Kilgannon, Freedom Alliance
Why This Matters to Us
Faricy President, Ben Faricy, speaks at the presentation.
Faricy has been a Colorado family business since 1942. Southern Colorado is a military community — Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever, and generations of families who stayed after service. A meaningful share of the people we see every week have served or are serving.
We also know what a reliable vehicle means to a household, because it is the business we are in. For a family where the primary earner was medically retired, it is not a gift so much as the removal of a constant worry.
Congratulations to the Gabehart family, and thank you to Freedom Alliance and US Bank for doing this sixty-nine times over.
Why a Grand Cherokee
It was not a random pick off the lot. A family in southern Colorado drives in snow, on gravel, and over passes — and the distances out here are long in any weather.
The Grand Cherokee handles all of that: room for the whole family, four-wheel drive that works when the roads turn, and the kind of reliability that means nobody is doing mental math about whether the car will make it. That last part is the real gift here.
About Freedom Alliance
Freedom Alliance is a charitable organization supporting wounded service members and the families of fallen and disabled troops, including through its vehicle donation program with US Bank.
Serving Those Who Served
Faricy brands offer military and first responder appreciation programs on qualifying new vehicles. Contact us and we will tell you what your brand is currently running and whether you qualify.
Military appreciation programs are offered by participating manufacturers and are subject to their eligibility requirements, terms, and expiration dates. Program availability, amounts, and whether a program may be combined with other offers vary by brand and change without notice. Proof of eligibility and a manufacturer-issued certificate may be required. Not all buyers will qualify. See dealer for complete details.
Quotes reported by KRDO13. Vehicle donated by Freedom Alliance in partnership with US Bank.