Veteran Surprised With New Car To Celebrate Graduating Addiction Recovery Program

An Oklahoma veteran who is about ready to graduate from a year-long addiction recovery program got a life-changing surprise Tuesday.

A local car dealership gave him a new car to help him celebrate turning his life around.

Landon Thomas has spent 11 months at Reincarnation Cottages. It's a year-long non-profit program in Pryor that helps men overcome addiction then helps them get a job and home.

"It really changed my life," said Thomas. "I was down, I didn't know what to do."

Thomas was convicted of crimes that led to probation.

He said he served in the Navy for seven years and had PTSD and anxiety. He said at one point he tried to kill himself by overdosing on meth, but he survived. Then someone told him about Reincarnation Cottages.

"I'm happy to be here," said Thomas. "I have no regrets coming to this place."

"We wish Landon nothing but the best. He's fantastic," said Niki Shelton, Thomas' HR Manager at XCaliber International.

Thomas has a new job thanks to the program and his manager said Thomas is the ideal employee.

Some other men in the recovery program are doing work at the Patriot Auto Group in Pryor.

Thomas thought we would be interviewing some other guys working at the dealership with Reincarnation Cottages, but he was in for quite the surprise.

"We know you've been going through something the last year," said Tatton Manning with the Patriot Auto Group. "We want you to know this car right here, it's ours, but it's about to be yours and it's 100 percent free."

Manning is also a veteran and heard about Thomas' story.

"We try to do as much as we can in the community we serve," Manning said.

Thomas said it's been 11 years since he's owned a car. He said he's ready to continue down the road to recovery.

"I'm at a loss for words," Thomas said. "This is the last thing I expected."