ROCK HILL, S.C. (Tribune News Service) — At 15 years old, Jesse Bosnak was hit with a surge of patriotism. During his freshman year of high school and after Sept. 11, 2001, Bosnak knew he wanted to serve. And at 17-years-old, he told his mother he was joining the military.

Now 37, Bosnak is a former United States Marine Corps sergeant who earned a Purple Heart — and received a fully paid-for Toyota car through the Military Warriors Support Foundation’s Transportation4Heroes program. Rock Hill’s Toyota dealership partnered with Wells Fargo to give Bosnak and his family the financial relief they had been dreaming of on Wednesday morning.

Bosnak received a 2025 Toyota Cross. It was the first time Toyota gifted this specific make and model of a car.

The family of four — Bosnak, his wife Marsha and children Aiden, 15, and Mackenzie, 13 — now have a second car that’ll move the family around more easily and help Marsha get a job.

“It means a lot. (Jesse’s) done a lot for a whole bunch of people, not just us, so I feel like he deserves it a lot,” Mackenzie said.

Bosnak’s time in the Marine Corps was eventful. Deployed to Ramadi, Iraq in 2006 at 18, Bosnak participated in the second battle of Ramadi and was injured by a rocket-propelled grenade.

He was then deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and worked as a radio operator.

“Our mission was only supposed to be five or seven days. It ended up being five months. Then after that, I got diagnosed with PTSD, and then I got medically retired,” Bosnak said.

Bosnak’s service earned him two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals with Combat “V” and two Combat Action Ribbons. Military Warriors Support Foundation

Picked from a large crowd of candidates for the award, Bosnak is just one of many veterans who have been helped through the Military Warriors Support Foundation and Wells Fargo.

Wells Fargo auto and home lending CFO Cory Tibbs also said the bank has reduced pre-existing debt for each individual in a one-year financial mentoring program with the Military Warriors Support Foundation by an average of $44,000.

“Our focus really is, how do we continue to try to create the right level of financial support for former military members re-entering and this is the perfect way to be able to do that,” Tibbs said. “When we looked at Jesse’s story, he really stood out amongst the other candidates for this particular round. So we’re really excited to see this for him.”

According to Tibbs, Wells Fargo has been able to give 120 payment-free vehicles to combat-wounded veterans, Gold Star families and nonprofit organizations.

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