War vet with one leg rescues Gen. Colin Powell from a flat tire

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In a heart-inspiring post on Facebook, former Secretary of State and Gen. Colin Powell took to Facebook on Thursday to thank a disabled veteran for coming to his rescue on the side of the road after the senior statesman’s car had a flat tire.

“Yesterday was a reassuring day for me,” said Powell, a retired four-star general, according to The New York Post. “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.’”

The man, Anthony Maggert, who lost his leg in Afghanistan, reached out to Gen. Powell to express how much the encounter meant to him. “Gen. Powell, I hope I never forget today because I’ll never forget reading your books,” Maggert said. “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.”

Powell was equally moved by the incident.

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