Local Air Force vet wins Smart car in national drawing

Larry Lazar got misty-eyed Wednesday morning while standing next to his newest car – a Welch’s Fruit Snacks-branded Smart car.

Lazar, 70, was presented with the car at McConnell Air Force Base on Wednesday. He won the car as part of a national drawing with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. The exchange is the on-base market where service members and their dependents can shop for a wide variety of goods tax-free.

The contest was open to all active and retired military personnel.

“You know, when we came home from Vietnam, there wasn’t very much appreciation,” said Lazar, a retired Air Force master sergeant. “You’d walk through the airport, and people’d spit on you. It’s not like it is today.”

Promotion in Motion, the manufacturer of Welch’s Fruit Snacks, held the contest from Aug. 19 to Sept. 30. According to a representative of the company, there were more than 8,400 entries, with only one car winner.

Lazar, whose “ground transportation” is primarily a mobility scooter, seemed to be surprised at how much space the small car had inside. The Udall resident typically drives a pickup truck, he said.

“It’s not as bad as you’d think it is,” he told Chief Master Sgt. Luis Reyes before driving the car out of the exchange building.

Marilee Edwards, Promotion in Motion’s director of sales-military and convenience, said this is the fifth car the company has given away to a veteran.

“This is something we’ve done ongoing to show our support for military families and show support for all they’ve done,” Edwards said.

The exchange at McConnell gives all of its profits back to the base after covering its expenses, according to store manager Elisabeth Pringle.

In 2016, the exchange contributed $393,918 to the base, according to Pringle.

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Local Air Force vet wins Smart car in national drawing."