SAN ANTONIO (AP) — With a turn of the key, the 1966 Shelby Cobra replica roars in a Converse garage, exhaust fumes filling the air, the car almost ready to hit the road after long years of labor.
A Lone Star Classics kit car, it was assembled by a small cadre of war-wounded troops. Most weren't mechanics. Some were missing fingers and limbs, but all were determined to rebuild lives through a unique vehicle.
"I think it helped me to help myself improve the quality of my life basically for the rest of my life," said retired Chief Petty Officer Peter Johns, who was burned over two-thirds of his body in an aircraft carrier fire.
Launched by San Antonio-based Operation Comfort, Automotivation provides occupational and physical therapy, like many programs. But it's also different from the group's more familiar offerings, which include hand cycles, recumbent bicycles, surfing trips and a sled hockey team.
"Not all guys are interested in sports. You get the gearhead guys, you can tell them about sled hockey, you can tell them about the cycling, you can tell them about the other programs we've got going on and it doesn't interest them," said Chris Leverkuhn, who lost his right leg below the knee after a blast in Iraq.
"But you tell them, 'Hey, we've got a '66 Cobra kit car' or 'we've got a '84 Ford Bronco that we've thrown an old weapons carrier body on,' that sparks an interest and makes them start thinking, 'I'd like to get out of bed and go see what's going on out there.'"
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