Thanking him for his service

One military veteran’s life changed for the better during Veterans Appreciation Day Tuesday, August 30 at the Minnesota State Fair.

Daniel Cahill, a Janesville native, received a brand-new Ford Escape from the Military Warriors Support Foundation in collaboration with Wells Fargo and Apple Autos of Apple Valley.

Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) was founded in 2007 by Lt. General Leroy Sisco. Its mission is to provide programs that help combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star families transition from life in the military back into the civilian world. Programs include housing, transportation, recreation, and leadership development.

Cahill was the beneficiary of one of MWSF’s programs called Transportation4Heroes, which awards payment-free vehicles to veterans who served in combat and to unmarried Gold Star spouses whose loved one was killed in action. He found out about the program after coming across a Facebook page.

After MWSF went through a rigorous process to choose him to be the recipient of a free vehicle, Cahill was notified a week before Veterans Appreciation Day. Along with winning a vehicle, He will also receive a year of family and financial mentoring.

Cahill joined the U.S. Army in 2007 as part of the 309th Engineering Company in Brainerd. He was deployed to Afghanistan as a gunner from 2010 to 2011. While on duty, on two occasions, his vehicle ran over an IED, causing him to fall out of his gunner hatch and inside of the vehicle. Both times, he suffered traumatic brain injuries. He received the Purple Heart and was honorably discharged from the Army in May of 2019.

Cahill currently lives in Andover with his family.