Injured Marine getting new adapted home in Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Texas (KTEN) — "In a blink of an eye, their lives and their families lives change forever. Our country owes it to them to provide this kind of support," said Tom Landwermeyer, president of Homes for our Troops.
Homes for our Troops is a national non-profit organization that not only builds adapted custom homes for injured veterans, but also helps to rebuild lives for people like Marine Sgt. Quentin Hamilton, his wife and two small children.
"More than 95 percent of our veterans, after moving to their home, say the entire stress level of their family has gone down," Landwermeyer said. "The employment rate for veterans more than doubles after moving into homes."
Hamilton suffered severe damage to his left leg on January 31, 2012 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device during his deployment in Afghanistan. After years of dealing with pain, Hamilton's left leg was amputated.
"When 9/11 happened, I was in high school, ninth grade," said Hamilton. "We had to write a letter to ourselves for 12th grade and talk about what we wanted to do. And in 9th grade, I said I wanted to be a Marine."
Homes for our Troops is making sure Hamilton and his family have a place to call their own. Their new home will feature more than 40 special adaptations, all 100 percent accessible to Hamilton.
"Knowing he can access everything safely, he can take a shower without having to worry about falling or crawling in the shower, hopping around on one leg," said Sergeant Hamilton's fiancée, Stefanie Clemons. "It's going to provide a lot of comfort for us."
Hamilton said he can't even put into words what this new home means to him.
"For somebody who doesn't fully understand the limitations that an amputee has, imagine winning the lottery, and it's kind of that feeling," Hamilton said.