COSTA MESA — Josue Guerrero-Uribe used to spend hours on buses in the Los Angeles area going to and from various volunteer projects.

When he left the Marine Corps in 2008 after serving eight years, Guerrero-Uribe struggled with alcohol and anger management issues. He found solace in helping others, putting in hundreds of hours to help build sports fields and teaching financial management and English classes at various schools and libraries to some of Los Angeles County’s poorest residents.

He did all this without a car, taking buses to Boyle Heights, Torrance, Hollywood and other locations, sometimes in the course of a day.

“If I had to be at a school at 8 a.m., I’d leave my home at six in the morning,” Guerrero-Uribe said, adding that he sometimes got back to his Hollywood home around 10 p.m. “I travel sometimes 200 miles per day.”

Iraq War veteran Josue Guerrero-Uribe is emotional after receiving a practically brand new 2017 Hyundai Elantra received at Caliber Collision in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. Guerrero-Uribe was nominated for the Recycled Rides vehicle by The Mission Continues which empowers veterans to continue their service in the community. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

Iraq War veteran Josue Guerrero-Uribe accepts a practically brand new 2017 Hyundai Elantra at Caliber Collision in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. Guerrero-Uribe was nominated for the Recycled Rides vehicle by The Mission Continues which empowers veterans to continue their service in the community. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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Iraq War veteran Josue Guerrero-Uribe gets on a practically brand new 2017 Hyundai Elantra received at Caliber Collision in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. Guerrero-Uribe was nominated for the Recycled Rides vehicle by The Mission Continues which empowers veterans to continue their service in the community. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

Iraq War veteran Josue Guerrero-Uribe speaks before accepting a practically brand new 2017 Hyundai Elantra received at Caliber Collision in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. Guerrero-Uribe was nominated for the Recycled Rides vehicle by The Mission Continues which empowers veterans to continue their service in the community. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

Workers at Caliber Collision in Costa Mesa prepares a practically brand new 2017 Hyundai Elantra that will be presented to Iraq War veteran Josue Guerrero-Uribe at on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. Guerrero-Uribe was nominated for the Recycled Rides vehicle by The Mission Continues which empowers veterans to continue their service in the community. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)



Iraq War veteran Josue Guerrero-Uribe, center, listens to the speakers from a practically brand new 2017 Hyundai Elantra received at Caliber Collision in Costa Mesa on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. Guerrero-Uribe was nominated for the Recycled Rides vehicle by The Mission Continues which empowers veterans to continue their service in the community. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

But bus rides are a thing of the past for the Iraq War veteran. On Wednesday, Oct. 18, Guerrero-Uribe was presented with a silver 2017 Hyundai Elantra at Caliber Collision auto repair in Costa Mesa.

The giveaway was part of the repair chain’s Recycled Rides program, which provides refurbished vehicles to those struggling with reliable transportation needs — mainly members of military organizations.

In a small ceremony at Caliber’s West 18th Street location, employees and friends of Guerrero-Uribe, 40, including his mother and a terrier-mix named Buddy, gathered to offer congratulations and present him the keys.

The Mission Continues, a nonprofit that encourages veterans to continue their service in the form of volunteerism in their communities, recommended Guerrero-Uribe for the car giveaway.

“He would take the bus to get to our projects,” said Allison Bailey, a program manager for The Mission Continues. “He’s just dedicated to serving the community in every way, shape and form.”

Through the Recycled Rides program, Caliber has presented 150 vehicles nationwide this year, said Justin Picon, manager of the Costa Mesa location.

“I don’t think there’s enough we can do to say thank you,” Picon said. “Safety isn’t a thought on my mind because of people like him. If we can do something like this, that’s the least we can do.”

The car, originally stolen, was donated by Allstate after it was recovered, said Randy Wong, an executive agent with the insurance corporation.

Caliber employees worked during their off-hours to repair the car, which took around two months, Picon said.

Repair crews replaced and repainted the front and rear bumpers, fixed the right fender, painted the car’s right side and replaced the interior, which had several cigarette burns.

The vehicle came with all the bells and whistles one would expect from a 2017 model: Bluetooth and the latest safety features.

Holding back tears, Guerrero-Uribe, who at first thought Caliber was trying to sell him a car, adjusted the front seat and played with the switches inside.

“I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “I feel like I’m part of this American dream.”