A disabled marine veteran walked out to his car one recent morning to find his vehicle destroyed by vandals, KHOU reported.
Hector Cortez, 28, of Houston, Texas, served in Iraq as an infantry machine gunner and now manages on disability checks. He found the car on a Sunday; the damage included profane, racist graffiti, busted bumpers and black paint on the mirrors.
"It was an 'F-word' and I'll just leave it at that," Cortez, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, told KHOU. "The entire driver's side had racial slurs, spray paint vulgarity."
The veteran is living on his pension and did not have the money to repair the car. But a local auto repair shop has since stepped up to cover the damage on the '96 Ford Escort with a fresh new red paint job.
People from the community sent cards to Cortez, who described their support as "overwhelming." Many of the cards thanked Cortez for his service.
"It means more than the world; it lets me know the fight is not in vain," he said.
The vehicle was not the only one to be hit last month as several other cars in the west Houston neighborhood were also vandalized. Police have been investigating the case as criminal mischief.
"Granted it's not a Mercedes Benz or BMW, but I take pride in the little things that I have, but I have never been that level of embarrassed," Cortez said. "It's something I had to work hard, save up for," he told the local ABC News.
The former marine, who came discovered his damaged car with his service dog, Rusty, would still not hesitate to lay his life on the line, again.
"As for the idiot who did this, I would have no problem dying for him," he told KHOU. "I would sacrifice so he could have that right for his freedom of speech."
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