Man who helped Colin Powell change tire

Thanks to Marie Stazzone MPHS For Sharing This Story 

Yesterday was a reassuring day for me. I was on my way to Walter Reed Military Hospital for an exam. As I drove along Interstate 495 my left front tire blew out. I am a car guy and knew I could change it but it was cold outside and the lug bolts were very tight. I jacked the car up and got several of the bolts removed when a car suddenly pulled up in front of me. 

As the man got out of his car I could see that he had an artificial leg. He said he recognized me and wanted to help me. We chatted and I learned that he lost his leg in Afghanistan when he worked over there as a civilian employee. He grabbed the lug wrench and finished the job as I put the tools away. Then we both hurriedly headed off to appointments at Walter Reed. I hadn't gotten his name or address but he did ask for a “selfie”. And then he sent me the message below last night.

"Gen. Powell, I hope I never forget today because I’ll never forget reading your books. You were always an inspiration, a leader and statesman. After 33 years in the military you were the giant whose shoulders we stood upon to carry the torch to light the way and now it is tomorrow’s generation that must do the same. Anthony Maggert"

Thanks, Anthony. You touched my soul and reminded me about what this country is all about and why it is so great. Let's stop screaming at each other. Let's just take care of each other. You made my day.

Colin Powell on Facebook

___________________________

Great story.  Thanks to Anthony Maggert and Colin Powell.

Colin Powell is a class guy.

My neighbor told a great story about General Powell.  She was a Vietnam War refugee who got came here at the end of the war. She ended up in Washington DC and started a florist shop.  One day she received a call to deliver a large number of flowers.  She took the flowers, and a staff member told her he would sign for the flowers, but she insisted that the owner sign. So Secretary of State Colin Powell came and signed the contract. She had no idea who he was.

When she went back to the shop she told her son what had happened.  "You met Colin Powell!"  he said.  He knew who he was, and asked his mother to return and ask Secretary Powell sign a copy of his book that the son owned. So she did, and Colin Powell graciously signed the book.

Craig Hullinger

___________________________

Man who helped Colin Powell change tire: ‘If you don’t know what altruism is, you’re probably not doing it’

by Diana Stancy Correll

January 25, 2019

Anthony Maggert, the man with a prosthetic leg who helped former Secretary of State Colin Powell change his tire this week, is an Army veteran who lost his leg while serving in Afghanistan.

"If you don't know what altruism is, you're probably not doing it," Maggert told the Washington Examiner.

Maggert told the Washington Examiner he served in the Army as a contracting officer and served several combat tours: three in Iraq and two in Afghanistan. Ultimately, he lost his leg due to a flesh-eating bacteria.

Maggert and Powell’s meeting went viral Thursday after Powell, who served in the Army for 35 years and reached the rank of a four-star general, shared a selfie of the men together on Facebook. Powell said he was headed to Walter Reed Medical Center when his front tire went flat on Interstate 495 and Maggert quickly pulled up beside him.

Powell said Maggert had recognized him and that he shared the story of how he lost his leg with Powell as they changed the tire.

“He grabbed the lug wrench and finished the job as I put the tools away,” Powell wrote.

____________________