Auto Body Company Helps Vet Whose Truck Was Damaged in Crash

Local military hero and businessman, Carl Showers, 59, is the latest recipient of the CollisionMax Medal of Honor Auto Body Repair award.

Showers, now 59, retired from 20 years of the service in 1996. Showers retired with a rank of Sergeant 1st Class after serving as a nurse in various bases throughout America and  Heidelberg, Germany. Showers is in the third consecutive generation from his family to serve in the military, dating back to his grandfather, who served in World War I.

“Military service is a kind of tradition in my family,” Showers said. “My grandfather fought in World War I, and my father saw combat in Italy in World War II. I also had two uncles who served in the Navy in the South Pacific in World War II, one of whom was so badly wounded when his ship was attacked they thought he wouldn’t make it; and an uncle who did four tours in combat in Vietnam and came back with post-traumatic stress disorder,” explained Showers of his family’s military history.

Showers grew up in central Pennsylvania and enlisted one year after graduating high school, in 1975.

Showers learned many things from the military. “I was a hothead when I got out of high school. What the Army taught me was discipline and confidence, and it helped me realize that I can do anything I put my mind to. It taught me leadership skills and how to manage any situation.”

Showers never experienced active combat, but nearly went to Iraq during the first Gulf War.

Although Showers never served in active combat, he worked tirelessly to save lives in Army hospital emergency rooms.

Throughout his career, Showers was trained to treat nuclear attack, chemical, and biological weapons victims.

Showers goes on to note that even when not serving in direct combat, life with a family member in the military is very stressful for those immediately involved with the member of the military, “Either your family has to pick up and move constantly to places where they don’t know anybody, or they stay behind, and then the wives have do everything themselves and survive on what’s left of your paycheck or go to work. It’s a great strain. It’s why so many military families receive food stamps, and the reason the divorce rate is so high among career military personnel.”

Showers’ family experienced this stress heavily, Showers noted, as he experienced three separate divorces while enlisted.

A few weeks ago, Showers’ truck was hit in a hit-and-run incident in a Newtown shopping center parking lot.

Through winning the CollisionMax Medal of Honor Auto Body Repair award, Showers’ truck will be repaired free of charge.

Showers was nominated by his current wife, Lois, was responsible for nominating him for the award.