Iraq veteran and wounded CHP officer gets help to heal

Volunteers step up to help disabled East Bay veteran
Laura Anthony
ABC News Team
January 24, 3013

PITTSBURG, Calif. (KGO) -- An East Bay veteran is getting a complete makeover of his backyard, thanks to a team of volunteers from Home Depot.

The volunteers worked from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. The veteran who owns the home served two years in Iraq in a combat zone before he returned to the Bay Area and joined the CHP. He was left permanently disabled after responding to a robbery call in Oakland. The team of volunteers came out to his house to help make his life a little smoother, going forward.

After all the service Shawn Navel has given to his country and his community, he's grateful for what's being given back to him now, "I'm extremely happy and I'm also happy to see all these supporters," Shawn said.

An Army veteran, Shawn served two tours in Iraq before returning to the Bay Area as a California Highway Patrol officer. It wasn't just a career, but something he considered a calling.
But that was all shattered three years ago when Shawn and several other CHP officers responded to a robbery in progress at an Oakland Walgreens. When the robber came out shooting, Shawn was hit eight times.

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