U.S. Army Veteran Surprised With Gift Certificate and Auto Parts for Dodge Truck

Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Rick Robertson was presented with a gift certificate and a stack of parts from companies like K&N for his 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT 4x4

Rick Robertson, one of hundreds of service members who have posted their stories in the AutoPartsWarehouse.com Heroes Gallery, was surprised at his Tennessee home with a truck load of auto parts to fix up his 2005 Dodge Ram. The AutoPartsWarehouse.com Heroes Automobile Gallery was launched in 2014 and provides U.S. military members with a discount on auto parts as well as an opportunity to share their vehicles and a few words about their military history. AutoPartsWarehouse.com has held a special interest in helping the brave men and women serving the U.S. military for years.

Auto Parts Warehouse surprised Sergeant Rick Robertson at his Hohenwald, Tennessee home over the weekend with a gift certificate for $1,000 and parts from automotive partners like K&N

Sergeant Rick Robertson, who served with Bravo Company 2/327 of the 101st Airborne for ten years, enlisted two days after September 11th, 2001. Robertson said “I had been in the Army Reserves and National Guard all of my adult life at that point. I was in the Army Reserves as a Combat Engineer and the National Guard as a Power Generations Equipment Mechanic.” Robertson was filled with anger and confusion as he watched the graphic footage of the twin towers falling. Two days later he was in the Army recruiter’s office enlisting for active duty in the Infantry. “I joined the active duty because I wanted to protect our flag, our people, my friends, your friends, my family, and your family” said Robertson.

Rick Robertson lovingly refers to his 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 as Rambo and looks forward to replacing and upgrading parts like a performance air intake system from K&N

Sergeant Robertson served three tours in Iraq unaware that six months into his first tour he had broken his back. According to Robertson, during his first tour in November of 2003 his base came under enemy mortar fire around 10:00 p.m. “Myself and two friends were at the phone center when the mortars started hitting, so we started heading back to check in. While we were running in the confusion of mortars dropping in the dark, myself and one of my buddies fell into one of the very large craters in the runway,” recalled Sergeant Robertson.

Sergeant Robertson doesn’t let his back injuries keep him from working on his truck and installing a K&N air intake system on his 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 shouldn’t pose any problems

At first everything seemed okay, but after two days Robertson was barely able to move. His squad leader sent him to the medical station and they claimed he had pulled some muscles. Robertson said “I finally started feeling better around seven weeks after basically living on a cot. I was determined to get back out to the fight. I wasn’t going to let a couple pulled muscles take me out.”

It wasn’t until Robertson’s third and final tour in Iraq that another injury would reveal he had previously broken two vertebrae in his spine in November of 2003. Because of this Robertson now suffers from arthritis in his spine, multiple herniated and bulging discs, and one extruded disc. Robertson says he is actually an inch shorter than he was upon leaving the Army three years ago. Rick isn’t bitter though, despite this unfortunate series of events he remains positive saying “I believe things happen for a reason in life. I have always been one to roll with the punches. There are no mistakes, only lessons.”

Sergeant Robertson said “Leaving the Army was very difficult for me as well as my family. My wife still has the support channels she needs. These women go through hell day in and day out. They have to put up with us soldiers and all of our problems. They have to take care of the family when we’re gone. If it weren’t for my wife, life in general would have been much harder. The wives are the real heroes of wars!”

AutoPartsWarehouse.com was so impressed by Rick’s courageous story that they decided to award him with a gift certificate for $1,000 and products from industry partners such as K&N. Sergeant Robertson’s injuries don’t stop him from working on his 2005 Dodge Ram. He is an avid DIY kind of guy and plans to replace all the worn parts as well as perform some upgrades. “My truck means so much to me and I am grateful to AutoPartsWarehouse.com and their partners for this wonderful surprise,” said Robertson.

K&N is honored to have participated with AutoPartsWarehouse.com and to have helped Sergeant Rick Robertson. K&N Engineering, Inc. is a proud supporter of the U.S. Military and salutes the brave men and women who sacrifice day in and day out to protect citizens of the United States of America. For more details on the AutoPartsWarehouse.com heroes gallery please visit their website at autopartswarehouse.com/heroes.