Boy Loses Soldier Dad And 15 Years Later Stranger At Door Tells Mom And Son To Come Outside

Justin Rozier, a Moore, Texas native, never met his father. Army 1st Lt. Jonathan Rozier was lost while serving overseas when he was just nine months old, leaving him and his mother, Jessica Johns, alone. Only 12 hours before he died, Johns talked to her husband, giving them an update on their lovely baby. This article is from 2017, yet it is just as relevant now as it was then.

Johns was left to pick up the pieces of their life in Texas after Jonathan’s unexpected death. She had to figure out how to cope emotionally and financially without her husband. She had to make some tough decisions, including giving up her husband’s treasured black 1999 Toyota Celica convertible.

“I didn’t want to keep depleting my money to pay for a car I wasn’t using,” Johns told NBC. “It was just sitting in my driveway,” says the narrator.

After that, Johns continued on with her life, unconcerned with the car her late husband used to drive.

Let’s fast forward 14 years to Justin Rozier, who was then a teenager. The little youngster had always yearned to meet his father and treasured all he had. He had his father’s dog badges, photographs, and other valuables, but he couldn’t get away from the concept of possessing something his father cherished: his automobile. He tried but failed to explain it. He only desired to ride in the same seat as his father, in a vehicle that his father adored. Rozier had already received his driver’s permit and was intending on acquiring his license the following year, despite the fact that he was just a month shy of turning 15 at the time. His father’s automobile would make an ideal coming-of-age present.

Johns chose to try to locate the automobile for her son, despite the fact that she knew she had a slim chance of succeeding. Even yet, she felt compelled to make an effort for her kid. Rozier’s tale soon circulated around the country after she shared it on social media.

“I mean, it could have been a 1974 Dodge Astro — I’m not even sure if that’s a car — but it could have been anything and he would have responded, ‘Yes,'” Johns stated at the time to CBS.

What is the explanation behind this? She stated, “I know he wishes his father was here.”

When Rozier’s father, Lt. Jonathan Rozier, died in Iraq in 2003, he was just 9 months old. Rozier treasures all he’s left behind after having his chance to get to know his father taken away so young.

“I don’t know,” Rozier said, “but knowing that he had it is a whole lot different than just about anything else.”

Johns was adamant about fulfilling her son’s birthday desire. “I think this is something that would bring him together,” she remarked. Finding the old automobile would be a difficult task, but she had to start somewhere. “Well, I’ve seen some really amazing things happen on Facebook,” Johns said. She then launched a social media effort to track down the car.

She posted a simple request on her Facebook page, accompanied by an old photo of the automobile, well before Rozier’s 16th birthday. It was critical for her to keep her plan hidden from her son, so she had to come up with a reason to prevent him from accessing social media.

“I’m curious if this automobile is still on the road. I was planning on going on a year-long quest for this automobile “she stated.

It wasn’t long before the post arrived in Pleasant Grove, Utah, where neighbors discovered a ’99 Toyota convertible. The owner’s daughter contacted Johns and offered her her father’s phone number, but warned him that he might not be interested in selling. Johns felt agitated.

“My dreams would be dashed if I call and he doesn’t want to sell it,” Johns told NBC. “It took me a day and a half to summon the guts to phone him.”

She explained to the automobile owner why purchasing back the car was so vital to her. He was hesitant at first, but eventually indicated he would consider it. It barely took him an hour to return Johns’ call with the information she required.

“I think your son would appreciate having his father’s automobile more than I would,” she recalled from their talk. “I was absolutely overjoyed,” she continued.

The automobile had been located and was ready to be sold, but there was still one issue: money. Kyle Fox, a Pleasant Grove native, can help with that.

“We came to the conclusion that we should see if we can buy the automobile,” Fox told CBS. “As a result, I’m always attempting to do something similar to help.”

Fox’s non-profit, Follow the Flag, which works to commemorate the lives and families of dead troops, raised funds for the huge surprise. Following the purchase of the automobile, Fox assembled a group of local technicians who volunteered to repair it up and restore it to its former glory. They had to repair the ride for a month and a half before they could transport it to Rozier in time for his 15th birthday. “It’s what we do,” Fox added, “and it’s something we do in the hopes of inspiring others.”

Rozier’s surprise was disclosed during his birthday celebration, where he and his mother got into a fight. It was a touching experience.

“”I was waiting for him, for it to dawn on me that this is my father’s automobile,” Johns explained. “He looks at it, climbs in, and he looks exactly like his father.””

Naturally, the entire endeavor to get the automobile to Rozier was motivated by what it represented: a piece of his father he had never met.

“For him, it’s a link to the past. It’s a major deal for me as well. I was never able to see him return home. So that one moment was just what I needed, I believe “Rozier said.

Then, of course, it represented the power of a community when members come together to aid one another.

Do you have tears in your eyes and a grin on your face because of Justin Rozier’s reaction?