Posted on 06/12/2007 2:17:30 PM PDT by Dubya
Iraq veteran Peter Reid has gotten a boost from LeAnn Rimes.
A 2004 mortar attack in Iraq's Anbar province left Reid, a Navy Seabee, partially paralyzed, blind in one eye and dependent on a motorized wheelchair. He also suffered a brain injury, and bits of shrapnel remain in his head and body.
Reid hadn't left his Palm Bay house for months because it took two people to lift him into and out of his van.
Now he's looking forward to shopping trips with his wife, Michele, because of a gift from Rimes.
Last week in Nashville, Tenn., the 24-year-old country singer who grew up in Garland, Texas, handed Reid the keys to a new wheelchair-accessible van.
Chevrolet, the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes and Rimes, a supporter of the veterans group, teamed up to present the van to Reid.
"She's wonderful," Reid said of Rimes after returning Monday to Florida. "She walked up to me like I was part of her family. She said, 'Pete, come with me. I have something for you.' I went out and there was the van. It was quite a surprise."
The Chevrolet Uplander is equipped with an automatic door and wheelchair ramp, allowing Reid to maneuver his wheelchair into and out of the van.
While in Nashville, Reid and his wife attended a Rimes concert and her fan-club breakfast.
Isn’t it nice that ONE group of musicians get it? Too bad Babs and her Holly-weird crowd don’t take a lesson from LeAnn and most of the Nashville crew!
This is very nice. It’d be great if we had more celebrities like this and fewer like Arrec Bahdwin.
LeAnn Rimes - Beautiful voice and a patriot to boot.
I’m pretty sure she did the same thing last year as well.
What a wonderful thing to do. God bless you, Leanne, and everyone else involved in this. It makes me proud to be an American.
I wouldn’t even care if this is partly a publicity event...
I’ll just say “Well done, Ms. Rimes!”.
LeAnn Rimes is a class act in more ways than one.
God Bless her and Navy Seabee Peter Reid.
Neat!
Good for her. I wish I were rich enough to do things such as this.
Bless you, LeAnn Rimes!!
Yes! All of us residents of Garland, TX are more than proud of LeAnn!
You go girl!
Amen to that!
Thank you and Bless you LeeAnne for supporting our awesome Hero’s!
Yeah: The Dixie Chicks would probably cut the spokes in his wheelchair. Streisand wouldnt lower herself to even speak and Sarandon would shove him down the handicap ramp backwards.
God Bless them both. But the gov’t should provide such a vehicle to anyone so severely injured.
Very good of her. But I agree, any soldier who is injured to this degree should at least be given a wheelchair accessible vehicle. It wouldn’t cost that much, particularly in proportion to all the rest of the garbage the government throws our money away funding.
Amen to that. How about new rigs for all combat vets. Paid for by eliminating BATF, Dept of Ed., Homeland Security, TSA, HUD and about 30 other agencies.
Ditto.
I've always wanted to be a philanthropist, all I lack is money.
local interest ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.