How does one cheer up a wounded war veteran who have been constantly putting his life on the line for the country? Jay Leno has a brilliant idea--give the soldier a brand new 2015 Dodge SRT Hellcat.
"We took all these wounded warriors and did sort of a lottery and reached in and picked a soldier at random (to) do something for him and hopefully it expresses what we want to do for all the soldiers," Leno said.
Corporal Ethan Laberge received an unexpected and lavish gift from Leno as the talk show host ventured on a mission to show his gratitude to the sacrifices given by the remarkable war veteran.
Laberge, who his colleagues perceive as a hero despite his humble reluctance to acknowledge his valiant efforts, had been severely injured in Afghanistan when an explosive planted by a suicide bomber detonated while he and his fellow soldiers conducted foot patrol. The tragic incident, which took the life of two of his companions, caused Laberge to endure a total of 10 surgical procedures in an effort to treat his wounds and mend the damaged parts of his body. Despite the surgeries, however, the war veteran still has to withstand persistent discomfort. The catastrophic incident also resulted in memory loss due to the traumatic brain injury incurred by Laberge.
"I had shrapnel that went through my ... foot into my left knee and I had a hole in the back of my left leg," described the wounded soldier. "I had a superficial wound above my right knee and I also had shrapnel that went into my arm, broke off the end of my radius, broke up a couple of bones in my wrist and essentially shattered my thumb," Laberge described.
Leno, on his part, thought that this move to give a wounded veteran an impressive vehicle provided "something a little bit different". He clarified that although providing the soldiers medical support and other vital benefits is undoubtedly more essential, it might bring extra happiness in their lives if they are gifted "something that's fun, something that has nothing to do with what happened to them."
