KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Marine Corps Veteran Patrick Elson thought he was going to Kaufman Stadium to be honored for his military service on the field Wednesday night.

“Showed up and everything was really kept mildly ambiguous and [we were told], ‘We’re going to go out onto the field and honor your service,’ and that was about all I knew,” Elson said.

But at the end of the first inning, a Chevrolet Trax drove onto the warning track from the bullpen while Elson got the ceremonial key near the first base dugout.

“I’m having to go to more and more VA appointments based on certain things that I experienced in Iraq and deployments so having a brand new, reliable vehicle to get around town to go to those further away places that I need to get to means the world,” Elson said.

It’s part of a partnership that Chevrolet and the Military Warriors Support Foundation have to help veterans like Elson, who earned a purple heart during his two deployments to Iraq.

VA data shows that more than nine million veterans are enrolled in their care, but we also know that many others don’t always get the care they need for a variety of reasons.

“Guys come back from the service and overseas and there’s still a lot of years left that they need a lot of things from a lot of people,” Elson said. “A lot of support and foundations like this…make a huge difference.”

If you or someone you know needs help through the VA, you can find the Kansas City Vet Center here.