Gonzales joined the Marine Corps at 23. After 13 months, a medical discharge brought him to Texas from California. He said he probably has not had a smile since he moved here in 1993, and insecurity kept him from showing one.
"My sisters smile, everybody smiles," Gonzales said. "It's just nice, going to be nice to get that smile again."
Ioppolo is an oral and facial surgeon at Hill & Ioppolo Oral & Dental Implant Surgery of Lubbock. He created the program because veterans do not get dental benefits, according to the report. He is a veteran too and gets his care through the VA. Dental access at the VA, Ioppolo said, "is only there if you're 100% disabled and that's a very small percentage of folks that serve."
The program weighs medical, dental and military backgrounds to pick each year's recipient, and Ioppolo said the choice is hard. Gonzales figured someone else might deserve the gift more. He thanked the doctors, his wife and everyone who helped. "My grandkids are going to be happy and I'll be able to chew gum again," he said.