Justin Rozier, of Moore, Texas, was never introduced to his father. Army 1st Lt. Jonathan Rozier was killed in action while fighting overseas when he was nine months old, leaving behind him and his mother, Jessica Johns. Johns texted her husband about their sweet boy just 12 hours before he died. Although this tale is from 2017, it is still as important today as it was then.

When Jonathan died suddenly, Johns was left to pick up the shards of their lives in Texas. She had to figure out how to live without her husband, both emotionally and financially. One of the options she had to make included her husband’s prized black 1999 Toyota Celica convertible.

«I didn’t want to keep spending my resources on a car that no one was using,» Johns said NBC. «It was parked in my driveway.»

After that, Johns went about her life, paying little attention to the car her late husband used to drive.

Fast-forward 14 years to Justin Rozier, who was a teenager at the time. The child had always wanted to visit his father and cherished all he possessed. He had his father’s dog tags, photographs, and other valued possessions, but he couldn’t take his thoughts away from something his father adored: his car. He tried but failed to explain himself. He just wanted to sit in the same car as his father, in the same seat. Rozier, who was only a month away from turning 15, had already obtained his authorization and expected to gain his license the following year. His father’s car would be the ideal coming-of-age gift.

Johns chose to try to get the car for her kid while knowing she had a slim chance of success. Nonetheless, she felt compelled to attempt her kids. She wrote about it on social media, and Rozier’s story quickly went all over the country.

«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 said to CBS at the time.

What’s the reason? «I know he wishes his father was here,» she said.

Rozier was just 9 months old when his father, Lt. Jonathan Rozier, was killed in Iraq in 2003. Rozier appreciates all he’s left behind after having his chance to get to know his father ripped away at such a young age.

«I don’t know, I don’t know, just knowing he had it — that’s a lot different than just about anything else,» Rozier admitted.

Johns was determined to fulfill her son’s birthday wish. «I have a feeling this is something that will bring him together,» she said. Finding the old car would be difficult, but she needed to start somewhere. «Well, I’ve seen some incredible things happen on Facebook,» Johns recalls. She then launched a social media campaign to locate the vehicle. More than a year before Rozier’s 16th birthday, she wrote a simple request on her page, accompanied by an old photo of the car. To keep her plan hidden from her son, she contrived a pretext to bar him from using social media.

I’m wondering if this car is still available. «I was intending on embarking on a year-long journey to find this car,» she explained.

The message quickly made its way to Pleasant Grove, Utah, where neighbors discovered the ’99 Toyota convertible. The owner’s daughter called Johns and given her her father’s phone number, but told her that her father could be reluctant to sell. Johns became tense.

«My hopes would be dashed if I contacted and he refused to sell it,» Johns said NBC. «It took me 12 hours to summon the courage to call his number.»

She explained to the owner why getting the automobile back was so important to her. He was initially hesitant, saying he would think about it. It took him less than an hour to answer Johns’ call with the information she needed.

She described their conversation. «I believe your son would value having his father’s car more than I would,» she remarked. «I got excited,» she said.

The car had been found and was ready to be sold, but there was still one problem: money. Kyle Fox, a native of Pleasant Grove, steps in.

«We decided to see if we could buy the car,» Fox said CBS. «As a result, I’m always looking for ways to serve in that capacity.»

Fox donated cash for the surprise through his non-profit, Follow the Flag, which strives to honor the lives and families of fallen soldiers. Following the acquisition of the vehicle, Fox organized a team of local mechanics who volunteered to patch it up and restore it to like-new condition. It took them a month and a half to fix the ride and get it to Rozier in time for his 15th birthday. «It’s what we do, and we hope it inspires others,» Fox added.

The secret was revealed at Rozier’s birthday party, where he and his mother got into a confrontation. It was a heartfelt moment.

«I was expecting for him to see that it was Dad’s car,» Johns revealed. «He stares at it, gets in, and looks exactly like his father.»

Naturally, the entire endeavor to send the car to Rozier was motivated by what it represented: a piece of the father he never met.

It represents a link to the past for him. It’s also significant for me. I never saw him come back home. So that one time was—I believe I needed it,» Rozier explained.

Then, of course, it symbolizes the power of a community when it comes together to help a neighbor.