Disabled Vet Handed Keys To Mortgage-Free Smart Home From Gary Sinise Foundation

Aug 08, 2022 by apost team

Soldiers put their lives on the line every day to defend their country, and while it's easy to congratulate them after a victory, many veterans are overlooked and neglected after leaving active service. However, the Gary Sinise Foundation makes a concerted effort to safeguard and look after their welfare long after their war days are over.

Founded in 2011 by the actor of the same name, the Gary Sinise Foundation is a veteran's service organization and charity that develops programs offers services and organizes events to help and honor wounded veterans of all branches of the military. The non-profit charity has raised more than $194 million for wounded veterans, first responders and their families throughout its history.

Sinise is best known for his role as Lt. Dan in "Forrest Gump," playing a veteran who returns from the Vietnam War with his legs amputated. Sinise said the role changed his life.

"Shortly after the movie opened, I was contacted by the Disabled American Veterans Organization inviting me to their national convention where they wanted to present me with an award," Sinise said. "I met hundreds if not thousands of people who were not playing a part in a movie."

Sinise's mission was to "extend our hand in times of need to those who willingly sacrifice each day to provide that freedom and security. While we can never do enough to show gratitude to our nation's defenders, we can always do a little more."

One way it does this is through the Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment (R.I.S.E.) program, in which the charity collaborates with building companies to construct "one-of-a-kind specially adapted smart homes."

On March 25, 2022, R.I.S.E. had the honor of presenting retired U.S. Army Sgt. Chris Kurtz and his family their dream home.

Kurtz, who hails from Adams, Tennessee, joined the army in February 2009. On June 13, 2010, he was deployed with the 101st Airborne Division to the Arghandab River Valley region in conflict-ridden Afghanistan. Later that year, in December, while on foot patrol, a remote improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near him, throwing him into the air.

Kurtz was left severely wounded by the blast, breaking his pelvis in three different places. After being airlifted to Germany for medical treatment, he ended up losing both his legs and two fingers on his left hand. He continued to serve and medically retired from service in 2013.

Daily life had been a struggle for the wheelchair-bound Kurtz, but all that was to radically change with help from R.I.S.E. In September 2021, construction began on the customized house that Kurtz would call home. In partnership with companies such as PTL, 31W, Screaming Eagle Concrete, Southern Roofing, Heritage Tile, ABC Supply, Andrews Flooring, and Coffman's Home Decor, R.I.S.E. went to work installing custom features across the entirety of the four-bedroom and three-bath home for Kurtz and his family.

CEO of the Gary Sinise Foundation Mike Thirtle explained: "(Sinise) wanted us to execute on this mission of providing these homes to veterans. We want to make them as customizable and tailorable for them and their family."

"So when you go inside the home you're going to see countertops are lowered and you're going to see a Dutch oven that opens a certain way. You're going to see a sink where they can wheel up with their wheelchair to have access. You go to the bathroom and you see how it's easier for them to get around."

And when Kurtz was handed the keys, the joy on his face was unmistakable.

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In a video posted on the Gary Sinise Foundation's Facebook page, Kurtz is seen with his family at a special event to hand over the keys to their new mortgage-free home. After some words of appreciation to Kurtz for his service to the country from organizers and collaborators, Kurtz entered the home. What he saw took his breath away.

The spacious home is furnished in a way that will allow Kurtz to move around easily in his wheelchair. In the kitchen, Kurtz is visibly delighted by the drop-down cabinet shelves that he can reach with ease. Also within reach is the oven, placed in a lower cabinet. 

In the bathroom, Kurtz told the cameras, "this is my favorite part," before shifting himself off his wheelchair and onto a raised platform directly underneath a showerhead. "This is awesome," he said.

Kurtz is also able to control aspects of the home, such as heating and lighting, at a touch of an iPad.

The day of the handover held extra special meaning as it was also Kurtz's 10th wedding anniversary. 

"It's such a blessing. It's so hard to describe in words because I'm so overwhelmed with the independence this is going to give Chris (and) the freedom it's going to give our kids," Kurtz's wife, Heather, said.

Kurtz told Clarksville Now:

"It's a bit overwhelming sometimes when you think about it … how much went into it, how many people put their hands on it. … It's very humbling."

After watching a recorded message from Sinise, he expressed his gratitude to the Gary Sinise Foundation, "not only for what they do for the military community but for changing my life with this new home that will help restore my independence and make life easier for me and our family."

What do you think about the Gary Sinise Foundation? Do you think more efforts should be made to help veterans like retired U.S. Army Sgt. Chris Kurtz in this way? Let us know and pass this on to all the patriots out there.