MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Two, disabled, mid-state vets will receive the keys to donated, specially built homes just in time for Veterans Day celebrations.
The charity Homes for Our Troops will deliver handicapped accessible houses in Nolensville and Brentwood this weekend.
Army veteran and Tennessee native Andrew Wilson was on patrol in Afghanistan in 2011 when he stepped on a landmine. He lost his right leg below the knee and his left leg above the knee as a result.
Wilson says he’s grateful for the new home and is ready to get on with his life. He’s getting ready to start a new career.
“Right now I’m interning at a prosthetics company, and next month I’ll be going to college for occupational therapy. I’ve probably done a little over a year of physical and occupational therapy, so pretty familiar with how that stuff works.”
Marine veteran Benjamin Maenza is the second mid-state vet receiving a new donated home this weekend. Maenza also lost both legs to a land mine in Afghanistan.
Homes for Our Troops has been building houses for wounded veterans since 2004. The charity uses a combination of federal grants and donations to offer the fully accessible homes to veterans without charge.