Injured Monument veteran surprised with free smart home on Memorial Day
MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) – This Memorial Day brought more than just remembrance for one local veteran – it also brought some life-changing news.
On Monday, Army Sergeant Major Hendrix learned he'd be receiving a free smart home, complete with technology designed to meet his needs.
Hendrix, a Monument resident, served the country for decades in Bosnia, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, where he played a vital role as an IED hunter and route clearer. But his service came at a great cost – Hendrix lost his left leg in a parachute accident.
Hendrix was honored at Citi Field in New York during a special pre-game Memorial Day ceremony, hosted by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the New York Mets. But what started as a military recognition turned into a life-altering surprise when Hendrix was announced as the latest recipient of a free smart home through the Tunnel to Towers Smart Home Program.
“The opportunity to have an accessible home is a gift,” Hendrix said. “I came here expecting some military recognition for Memorial Day. My life has changed in the last few minutes.”
The foundation says the future home, which will be built in Monument, will be "fully accessible and customized to meet Hendrix’s specific needs."
The home will include high-tech features such as voice-activated systems, remote-controlled lighting and temperature, motorized doors, as well as zero-threshold entryways – features meant to meet Hendrix's needs and help restore his independence, the foundation said.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation works to support injured veterans and first responders through a unique, mortgage-free housing program, specially adapting houses to meet veterans' needs.
For more information on the program and to support the foundation's mission of building homes for America's injured veterans, visit T2T.org.
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