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San Diego veteran receives specially designed truck as early Christmas present

Bottrell said the truck will make it much easier to load and unload items from the back when he goes camping and hunting.

SAN DIEGO — A San Diego wounded veteran received quite the Christmas present on Saturday. Andrew Bottrell was given a specially modified Ford F-250 from the nonprofit Wounded Warriors Family Support.

The truck, which was unveiled on Saturday afternoon at the Hotel Del Coronado, was created to make the veteran's life easier. Bottrell said the truck will make it much easier to load and unload items from the back when he goes camping and hunting.

Bottrell was wounded in action eight years ago while serving as part of the Navy’s Bomb Squad.  Bottrell said, “I am the guy who takes IEDs apart and renders them safe.” He said his injury happened three months to the day that he got married.

Bottrell has spent years rehabbing his physical and mental health saying, “I’ve managed to turn my post-traumatic stress into post-traumatic growth. You focus on what you can do, not what you can’t.”

Rick Harrison from the hit reality show Pawn Stars helped in fundraising efforts as a tribute to his dad, who the show lovingly referred to as “the old man.” Harrison said his father’s military career spanned 20 years in the Navy.

Bottrell says he is looking forward to his first trip in the new truck which may be to Las Vegas to visit his pawn star pal.

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