Family gifts late son’s car to veteran in need
Parents reach out after their loss to help former soldier recovering from PTSD as he seeks a new path
One family’s loss has led to a Montgomery County military veteran being given a car to help steer his life in a new direction.
Army veteran Nick Moffitt, 34, of Pinehurst expressed his gratitude Saturday to Mark and Linda Asteris of Montgomery at the Honor Cafe in Conroe. The couple recently turned over the keys of their late son Paul’s 2018 Honda Accord to Moffitt.
“I was an hour from going and buying a car and I couldn’t afford it,” Moffitt said. “I had to start over, I lost everything, but in this process, I found me. I am forever grateful for the family; you guys have helped me out in more ways than you know.”
Paul Asteris had just turned 50 when he died unexpectedly on May 27, family members said. They described Asteris, an architect, as a “good father” and a “sports fanatic.” He specialized in designing pediatric hospitals across the United States, including Texas Children’s Hospital on Interstate 45 in The Woodlands with Houston-based firm FKP Architects.
The family decided it wanted to give his car to a deserving veteran and reached out to George Huxel, who meets with a veterans group in the Bonterra at Woodforest community. Huxel is also a member of American Legion Post 411 in Conroe, which received the car and selected Moffitt to be its new owner.
“I’m just glad somebody could use it and that it went to a deserving person who is in need,” Linda Asteris said.
While trying to find a veteran, Post 411 Service Officer Ashley Taylor, who served in the Army, wanted to collaborate with the PTSD Foundation of America, which works with combat veterans in their six-month Camp Hope program. She connected with her friend, an outreach director, and informed him the post had a vehicle donation from a family whose only request was that it go to a veteran.
“He said, ‘Let me call you right back, because we have a veteran right now who graduated from Camp Hope, which is a six-month program, and he is actually interning for us, and he is actually on his way to get a car that he can’t afford,’ ” Taylor said. “I was like, ‘That’s God,’ so it was so cool to find this recipient.”
The post met with the family to host an official ceremony at the cafe Saturday for Moffitt.
“This last 10 years has been a struggle,” Moffitt said. “I didn’t really know how to identify a lot of the things that were wrong… I finally took a stand to better myself and try to do things a different way, try to do things God’s way, and it has been working out so far.”
Moffitt, who is originally from Missouri, moved to Montgomery County last August and served for six years in the military, including in Iraq.
“Some things happened that were unfortunate, that changed the course of my life a little bit, but I wouldn’t take it back for anything,” he said. “I am glad to be able to be here, to receive a blessing like this, there’s a lot of people who are not as fortunate as I am.”
After returning home, Moffitt found it challenging to manage his post-traumatic stress disorder, which he said led to family issues and drinking. He turned to Camp Hope in 2019.
“Camp Hope helped me establish a relationship with God, which is something that was nonexistent for me,” Moffitt said. “Camp Hope gave me an opportunity to sit around a bunch of my brothers and realize I was not alone, as I thought I was. It provided me an opportunity to be open, honest, and vulnerable, but transparent in my situation.
“I put all the cards on the table and started fighting the battle here at home.”
Now, without the worry of transportation, Moffitt is interested in getting his college degree.
“I’m in a position where I can focus on school, I can focus on the relationship with my children and myself,” Moffitt said. “It gives me a true reset button.”
Moffitt realized Saturday morning while talking to the Asteris family that he graduated from Camp Hope on May 27 — the same day Paul Asteris died.
“It’s a sign,” Linda Asteris said.