Freedom Mobility Foundation gives independence back to wounded veterans
In 2006, Marine Corps veteran Matt Amos survived a roadside bomb in Iraq that caused a traumatic brain injury. He healed and reenlisted, determined to stay in the fight.
Five years later in Afghanistan, his resolve was tested again while serving with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, a unit that lost 17 Marines and saw nearly 200 wounded.
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Amos stepped on another bomb. This time, he suffered a bilateral amputation — right leg above knee, left below knee — along with a fractured hip and a broken femur, among other injuries. After four months in the hospital and two years of recovery, Amos retired in 2013.
“I was pretty jacked up,” he said.
It took a year to get back behind the wheel using hand controls, but when it came time for a new truck, affording a properly modified truck seemed impossible, until a friend told him about Freedom Mobility Foundation, a nonprofit led by retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Kevin Pottinger.
Founded in 2020, the foundation restores mobility and independence to severely injured veterans and first responders through customized 4×4 trucks equipped with hand controls, lift systems and other adaptive features.
Amos now drives a 2019 Chevy Silverado.
“Having a new truck where I can handle several activities on my own is freedom and independence, and that’s what Freedom Mobility is all about,” Amos said.
Pottinger knows firsthand what that freedom means. A third-generation service member, he spent 39 years in the Air Force and nearly 30 flying F-16s. In 2007, during a medical evacuation flight from Iraq to Landstuhl, Germany, he saw dozens of wounded service members being wheeled in for emergency treatment.
The image stayed with him.
“I’m watching medics keep these men and women alive, that’s when something clicked,” Pottinger said.
After retiring in 2015, Pottinger joined the Airpower Foundation to support a wide range of military nonprofits. But he wanted to go deeper, focusing solely on severely wounded veterans.
A trip to Las Vegas, where he met thriving veterans from Walter Reed Hospital using advanced mobility tech, inspired him to launch a new effort.
Nonprofit spotlight
How to contact: 817-937-5281 or apottinger@freedommobilityfoundation.org
Year founded: 2020
“They were so happy,” Pottinger said. “That’s when I decided to start a foundation.”
Freedom Mobility Foundation works with private automobile donors, dealers and insurance companies like USAA, GEICO and Allstate. The group also partners with MobilityWorks, which makes the adaptations to the trucks.
The insurance companies provide the vehicles through the National Auto Body Council’s Recycled Rides program, while Cars for Charity and local body shops restore the trucks. The average turnaround, from donation to delivery, is about 90 days.
American Airlines is also a partner, donating air miles so veterans can attend medical appointments or special events connected to the foundation.
Each vehicle is tailored to the recipient. Some modifications are simple, like hand controls. Others take months to engineer, including 3D-printed steering sleeves or custom lifts for heavy wheelchairs.
“They’re like a fingerprint, very custom,” Jack Donovan of MobilityWorks said.
Since its founding, the foundation has helped 43 veterans and first responders reclaim their independence, Pottinger said. The impact is personal and powerful.
“Seeing their faces after they’ve gone hunting again, it’s exhilarating,” Pottinger said.
Losing limbs is losing a form of independence, Amos said. Whether a veteran is reliant on a wheelchair or track chair, having the tools to get out on their own is huge.
On July 5, Amos received his Silverado during a Lions Club car show in Southlake. A Colleyville family donated the truck. Donors funded the lift system and hand controls.
The foundation continues to grow thanks to faith, Pottinger said. Even when the team considers slowing down, another donation arrives, a sign that their mission isn’t over.
“We’re servants and it’s our mission to give back to the men and women that have been injured,” he said.
With hunting season nearby, Amos is already planning his trip. Living life without limits.
Orlando Torres is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report.
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