Combat-wounded veteran honored with keys to new vehicle at Petco Park
Photo News Release | September 24, 2021
Wells Fargo and the Helpful San Diego Honda Dealers Association donated a 2021 Honda CR-V through Military Warriors Support Foundation
San Diego, Calif. – September 24, 2021 – For combat-wounded veterans, transitioning from the military back to civilian life can be a challenge. That, combined with the cost of a new vehicle, can put added burdens on our nation’s military service members and their families. To help, Wells Fargo teamed up with the Helpful San Diego Honda Dealers Association and Military Warriors Support Foundation to present a payment-free 2021 Honda CR-V to retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Paul McQuigg on Thursday, September 23 at Petco Park’s Gallagher Square.
“My whole family is excited about this new vehicle. We’re looking forward to road trips to visit family members that are out-of-state, and it will give me the opportunity to potentially move to Texas, where I’ve always wanted to build a home for my son and me. Also, I certify veterans who want to learn how to scuba dive, so the extra trunk space will really come in handy,” shared Gunnery Sergeant McQuigg.
The donation was made through Military Warriors Support Foundation’s Transportation4Heroes program, which awards payment-free vehicles and provides one year of family and financial mentorship to combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star families. According to the Foundation, the counseling has helped families in its program pay down, on average, about $30,000 in debt.Paul McQuigg joined the U.S. Marines Corps in 1995. He started his military career at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego as a Squad Leader and Guide and graduated Private First Class as the Head-Scribe and a member of the Company Honor Platoon. Later, he attended Military Occupational Specialty School at Camp Del Mar to become an Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AVV) Crewman and was ordered to station at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Gunnery Sergeant McQuigg was deployed to Albania and the Adriatic Sea in 1999 to provide humanitarian relief following the Turkey earthquake. After he returned from abroad, he re-enlisted and served as an instructor at the Assault Amphibian School Battalion in Camp Pendleton, California. In 2005, Gunnery Sergeant McQuigg was deployed to the Republic of Georgia. That same year, he was also deployed to Iraq to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and sustained injuries while supporting combat operations. After completing rehabilitation, he received orders to serve at the Wounded Warrior Battalion-West as the Staff Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (SNCOIC), while taking SNCOIC advanced courses and graduated top 5% of his class. In 2017, Gunnery McQuigg retired from the Marine Corps, receiving many awards for his 20 years of honorable service, including a Purple Heart for the wounds incurred in combat, two Combat Action Ribbons for his deployment in Turkey and Iraq, an Iraq Campaign Medal with four Campaign Stars and more. Today, Paul lives in San Diego, California with his son. He spends most of his time working with disabled veterans and military-and-veteran-related nonprofits and works to certify veterans as a scuba diving instructor.Wells Fargo Auto, a division of Wells Fargo Consumer Lending, started the Sponsored Vehicle Donation Program in 2015, and since then have worked with auto dealerships across the country to sponsor the donation of more than 50 payment-free vehicles and family and financial mentoring, valued at over $1.5 million, to combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star families through Military Warriors Support Foundation’s Transportation4Heroes program.About Wells FargoWells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is the leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 37 on Fortune’s 2021 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter: @WellsFargo.About Military Warriors Support FoundationMilitary Warriors Support Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, founded by LTG Leroy Sisco (Ret), in 2007. Their mission is to provide programs that facilitate a smooth and successful transition for our nation’s combat-wounded heroes and Gold Star families. Their programs focus on housing and homeownership, recreational activities, transportation assistance and leadership development. Through select programs, they have awarded nearly 900 mortgage-free homes and over 100 payment-free vehicles to combat-wounded heroes, Gold Star spouses, and their families in all 50 states. In addition to the home or vehicle, the families receive family and financial mentoring. For more information, visit MilitaryWarriors.org.About San Diego Honda Dealers AssociationThe San Diego Honda Dealers Association, made up of 10 local dealerships in the region, dispatches its popular Helpful Honda guys in blue to surprise local residents and organizations across San Diego with Random Acts of Helpfulness every week. The San Diego Honda Dealers have been demonstrating, firsthand, that they are truly Helpful… no strings attached. The Helpful Honda guys surprise residents in unexpected and meaningful ways -- including volunteering and donating to food banks; surprising residents with free ice cream at local parks during the hot summer months; providing kids with free books as they go back to school; pumping and paying for drivers’ gas as prices spike; rewarding outstanding teachers over Teacher Appreciation Week; providing families with free pumpkins for Halloween; bringing gifts to families in need over the holidays; and much more. Stay tuned for helpful updates and location clues on Facebook @SDHondaDealers.Media Contact InformationWells FargoJuan Lopez, 805-318-0270Juan.Lopez7@wellsfargo.com@WellsFargoMilitary Warriors Support FoundationJohn Hill, 210-615-8973 ext. 112Media@militarywarriors.org@WarriorsSupportSan Diego Honda Dealers AssociationDestin Judy, 859-913-6983Destin@remarqinc.com @SDHondaDealers